Hello, old friend.
Yeah yeah, I never got back to this did I? I probably left because some subconscious part of me realized the books I was reading weren't warranting enough thought for an original blog post. But today I read most of/finished All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr which demands some thought.
First, let's get my review out of the way before continuing on to spoiler corner. As a Pulitzer Prize winner, of course it's written beautifully. I loved the connections to science and museums (including the title) because I like science. I also really appreciated how the story makes you think, and is many layered, like one of Marie Laure's puzzle boxes. The beginning is wonderful, so sweet and picturesque. During the middle, I started getting lost. War is such a huge concept, and one we like to shy away from because it is quite painful, but nonetheless Doerr tries to get us to conceptualize so many facets (hah pun) of it. It's really easy to get disinterested in some storylines and lost, which is something I dislike about all stories with too many narrators. (For example, I hated von Rumpel). However, I understand that they were necessary and very cleverly placed. Doerr does a better job than any other author I've read that uses this structural device. Because I got lost in the middle, I didn't feel as connected to the dead characters and I probably should've. Maybe it's just that a lot went over my head. I don't recommend reading it all in one sitting like I did. But yes, it's a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.
In another lifetime (like that during which I started this blog), I would've responded to the ending with an I don't get it. But, being a few years older, I'm on the brink of getting it, so let's think shall we? (SPOILER ALERT)
First of all, I noticed all the little metaphors in the seemingly unnecessary scenes, which probably are each contributing to a larger one. The largest one I found: Werner appears to be a personification of Germany, plus a little bit more. He comes from adversity and develops a passion for science, especially radios, which are the voice of God. His white hair stands for his purity. However, in his home, he feels the walls caving in on him and fears his seemingly inevitable future in the mines, wasting away his life in the dark. To prevent this great fear of his, he lets himself fall (metaphorically and literally) into Hitler's regime out of sheer desperation and a yearning for a better life. Gradually, he gets swept up into the German machine, and begins smashing radios/quenching his sister's treasonous curiosities, blocking out her dangerous yet true warnings to protect himself and her. Eventually, he realizes his passivity is as much an assault on the innocent as fighting, but by then he knows his life is no longer his, just as Germany realizes they are on the wrong side of the war, but the machine cannot stop. He gets sick and cannot hold down any food (aka sustenance/truth/admittance), knowing what he has done. Also, he has a fever, having been gradually cooked, like the frog in Madame Manec's metaphor. When he comes out of the dark hole in 1944, it is a rebirth for him, as the end of the Nazi regime is a rebirth for Germany. He takes back his life and morals by saving Marie-Laure before the earth reclaims him (well, I couldn't connect that to Germany, but it did reclaim the diamond, instead of the sea).
Maybe Marie-Laure is France, being as beautiful and well-loved as she is, but I'm betting she's something more. Maybe she's just an idyllic character. Shrug. All the same, she was definitely my favorite. I didn't like how it ended with Jutta instead because she wasn't very involved with the main storyline (though Warner mentioned her quite a bit in his thoughts, I still don't feel like she was ever really the one motivating him). But the ending with Marie-Laure was great because it connected the story to the present (for now) and why we should still care about WWII and how different it is for those who actually remember (because I must've read a hundred books about it as a child and never really understood the significance).
ORRRR maybe she's the sea and he's the earth, trying to find her, because the diamond eventually passes hands. That metaphor would need some more working out in my head though.
Wellp. There we have it. An astounding book really, I'm almost sad to have to go back to ASOIAF, but I feel as if I need to finish it for some reason. Maybe that's irrational and I won't actually do it. Bye now :)
