We agreed that 'All the Light We Cannot See' was an extraordinary, highly original, even inspirational novel about a ten year period around WW2, culminating in the destruction of Saint-Malo in 1944. The many non-linear threads were woven together lyrically and seamlessly keeping
the reader engaged and 'in touch' in all ways. This story is about a little blind girl called Marie-Laure and a little ash-blond German orphan, called Werner, who we first meet listening to a forbidden radio transmission from France. This sensory tale is conveyed through both sound and
touch, science and story-telling, through family and friendship, love and hope. Whether entombed below ground or hidden in a tower the overriding sense is one of hope and optimism in times of darkness, chaos and utter bleakness. Despite the fact that this story is about a truly grim period in our history it remains somehow uplifting, as it is embedded in a love of nature, inspired by technological and scientific achievements and lit by the beauty of history and art. The interweaving of so many threads brings depth and truth to this ultimately
powerful novel about the horrors of war.