All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they are closed forever." That's a line from Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See. The protagonists in this novel are a blind French girl and a German boy who is an engineering prodigy. But both of them, in their youth, will be challenged to see, to face, the moral dilemmas of their time. The novel is set in the period leading to World War Two, the war years, and many years later.

The novel opens in August 1944, but the story shifts back and forth in time, preparing us for the moment when these two young lives converge, when two people, on opposite sides of the war, find goodness in one another.  I should add that the book doesn't end with that encounter and the shifting time narrative only adds to the suspense.

Anthony Doerr's novel had become a publishing sensation, striking a chord with a wide readership.  It is, after all, emotionally involving with an engrossing story, memorable characters and situations, and, at over 500 pages, a quick and satisfying read.  It is also told without sentiment and a wonderful sense for detail. There is a locksmith who builds intricate boxes, a search for a rare jewel, an indoctrination at a Hitler Youth camp, and a vividly described tall house located by the sea at Saint-Malo - a house with a special history of its own. When it didn't receive the National Book Award, All the Light We Cannot See became even more topical. It was part of the news. Then, it went on to win the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.