What to expect when you read a historical novel set in wartime? A display of brutality, a spectacle of bravery or cowardice or both, an atmosphere terrorized by bombs and soldiers, and, inevitably, tragic deaths, traumatized survivors. It would be stupid to expect a happy ending from a historical novel set in wartime.

But All the Light We Cannot See is unlike any war-themed historical novels I have read. Some books focus on the relationships (which usually make the tragedy even more depressing), some others on the desperate efforts the characters were making an attempt to get out of a situation, and some books reveal the reality of man when faced with fire; the worst and the best. This book combines all that, and more. Continue reading All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr