Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure's reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war, and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure's converge.
Loved
- The writing. I've been thinking about this story, and I've decided that although the plot is very interesting, it's not necessarily completely outstanding by itself. However, Doerr's hauntingly vivid writing makes the story completely captivating. Doerr's metaphors are electrifying in their accuracy and poignancy, and every sentence is constructed carefully and thoughtfully. I think Doerr's writing is what makes this story so compelling and outstanding in its genre.
- The format. The other element that stands this story apart from other WWII fiction is its non-linear format. The story begins in the future, and the rest of the story is told through flashbacks, with the original scene woven throughout. This format gives the story an even more eerie and mysterious feel, which adds to its appeal and complements the melancholy, suspenseful events of the plot.
- The suspense. Speaking of suspense, this story had me on my toes just as much as any horror novel. There were certain scenes developed throughout the story that did not resolve until the end, and every development was terrifying in its intensity. The main character's being blind drove the suspense to new heights, and gave me major Wait Until Dark vibes- horrifying, and awesome, and paralyzing in its intensity.
- The theme of goodness. Again, after processing this book for a few days, it seems the major theme of the story (apart from fabulous storytelling) is that humans can choose to do and be good no matter what circumstances surround them. Over and over again throughout the story, characters choose kindness, justice, and courage even when hideous events are happening around them. Werner's character development is especially gratifying as he chooses to change his course and be selfless. Although Marie-Laure's blindness is more obvious, it appears that Werner is able to overcome his moral blindness and choose light, even during hopeless circumstances.
- Werner's and Marie-Laure's meeting. As a *tiny* spoiler, it's very far into the story before our two MCs meet. There's a lot of buildup to what their meeting will be like, since readers have come to know these characters so well throughout the story. Their meeting and story convergence was beautiful and meaningful, although different than expected. This meeting seems to be the catharsis and climax of the whole story, capturing the theme of kindness, selflessness, and love during atrocity and tragedy.
Didn't Love
- I was a little disappointed in the ending, to be honest. However, as I thought about it more, I realized that this ending was much, much more realistic than other WWII fiction out there. This ending probably captures so much more accurately what many people during this period experienced- unanswered questions, confusion, and heartbreak without closure. After thinking it over, this is a refreshing ending to haunting events, and a Hollywood ending would have insulted the rest of the story.
Content
Content
- Language:
- Strong language:
- 4-5 uses of "F***" or "f******."
- Frequent uses of "damn," and "sh**."
- Sexual content:
- Hitler Youth and Nazi soldiers make vulgar jokes about masturbation and impregnating girls at different time in the story. ("I'd pollinate her in a "shi*.")
- Students bully a boy by calling him vulgar names such as "blowjob."
- **Fairly graphic sexual violence: four women are raped by soldiers. Describes what the soldiers say and do as they rape them.
- Violence
- Sexual violence referred to above: graphic descriptions of rape of four women. Many references to women being raped by soldiers, and soldiers talking about impregnating women.
- Many, many references to corpses and people dying in the occupation and the war. Many of these references are quite graphic.
- At the Hitler Youth academy there is a lot of cruelty and violence:
- A teacher has the other boys chase the "weakest" and beat him when they catch him.
- A teacher has the boys throw water at a prisoner in the freezing cold. The corpse is left out for the boys to see.
- The boys in the academy frequently beat and sexually harass one of the weaker boys.
- The boys in the academy beat a boy so badly that he has brain damage and can no longer function.
- During the occupation people are taken into the street and shot, and tortured at times.
- Innocent people are threatened, imprisoned and tortured for information.
- Many people die in bombings- descriptions of bodies and flesh.
- Three soldiers are trapped in a bomb shelter. One man dies and his graphic injuries are described. They are stuck with his body in the shelter for days.
- Nazi soldiers track Russian resistance:
- Descriptions of soldiers being shot in the head while talking on the radio. Descriptions of cleaning up their flesh to be able to use the radio.
- Descriptions of bombing hideouts and watching bodies fly.
- Descriptions of burning hideouts and smelling people burn.
- A man is killed by stepping on a land mine.
- Very intense scene woven throughout the book where main character is fleeing a Nazi officer who is hunting her to kill her.
- Other themes:
- Anti-semitism taught at Hitler Youth academy and referenced throughout the story.
- Many suspenseful scenes of being hunted, especially suspenseful because the main character is blind.
- Strong language:
- 4-5 uses of "F***" or "f******."
- Frequent uses of "damn," and "sh**."
- Hitler Youth and Nazi soldiers make vulgar jokes about masturbation and impregnating girls at different time in the story. ("I'd pollinate her in a "shi*.")
- Students bully a boy by calling him vulgar names such as "blowjob."
- **Fairly graphic sexual violence: four women are raped by soldiers. Describes what the soldiers say and do as they rape them.
- Sexual violence referred to above: graphic descriptions of rape of four women. Many references to women being raped by soldiers, and soldiers talking about impregnating women.
- Many, many references to corpses and people dying in the occupation and the war. Many of these references are quite graphic.
- At the Hitler Youth academy there is a lot of cruelty and violence:
- A teacher has the other boys chase the "weakest" and beat him when they catch him.
- A teacher has the boys throw water at a prisoner in the freezing cold. The corpse is left out for the boys to see.
- The boys in the academy frequently beat and sexually harass one of the weaker boys.
- The boys in the academy beat a boy so badly that he has brain damage and can no longer function.
- During the occupation people are taken into the street and shot, and tortured at times.
- Innocent people are threatened, imprisoned and tortured for information.
- Many people die in bombings- descriptions of bodies and flesh.
- Three soldiers are trapped in a bomb shelter. One man dies and his graphic injuries are described. They are stuck with his body in the shelter for days.
- Nazi soldiers track Russian resistance:
- Descriptions of soldiers being shot in the head while talking on the radio. Descriptions of cleaning up their flesh to be able to use the radio.
- Descriptions of bombing hideouts and watching bodies fly.
- Descriptions of burning hideouts and smelling people burn.
- A man is killed by stepping on a land mine.
- Very intense scene woven throughout the book where main character is fleeing a Nazi officer who is hunting her to kill her.
- Anti-semitism taught at Hitler Youth academy and referenced throughout the story.
- Many suspenseful scenes of being hunted, especially suspenseful because the main character is blind.
Overall Thoughts
This is a fabulous WWII fiction. Although the plot itself is very interesting, it's the storytelling that sets this book apart from others of its genre. Doerr's flawless writing combined with the non-linear format that comes together seamlessly both serve to create a masterpiece of suspense, heartache, and inspiration. This story demonstrates that goodness can be found and chosen even during the most hideous of circumstances, and beauty is always there, even if we cannot see it (due to many types of blindness). This story shows that beauty and light are found in kindness, simple joys, and showing courage in the face of heart-wrenching pain. This haunting and evocative story is not always pleasant to read because it is graphic at times and saddening, but it is moving and thought-provoking, and will stay with you long after closing the book.
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