Praised as a “dazzling, epic work of fiction,” Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See” is a tale of two children from parallel worlds, a precious jewel, and how to find light in the darkest of places.

Werner is a German orphan with a brilliant mind who one day finds himself in Schulpforta, a German military institute dedicated to cranking out the bravest, strongest, and brightest soldiers the world has ever seen. Werner questions what it really means to be a soldier in Hitler’s Germany, especially after witnessing multiple inhumane and horrible acts.

Meanwhile, Marie Laure is a blind French girl living in the recently-occupied Saint-Malo, a French island miles from her Paris home. When her beloved father is suddenly arrested and Marie Laure finds out why, she is placed with a heavy burden and a difficult decision.

Among other awards, Doerr’s novel was voted as Amazon’s second best book of 2014, a finalist for the national book award, a “New York Times” bestseller, a “Publisher’s Weekly” bestseller, and an international bestseller.

Doerr’s story includes a gut-wrenching thriller with exquisite phrases in a realistic plot. Doerr tackles questions of survival and moral obligations in a book that is both intimate and shocking.

Written by Esther Lawrence’18