2014Pulitzer 2015
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr · b. 1973 · USA
Why it matters
A blind French girl fleeing occupied Paris with her father's miniature model city, and a German orphan drafted into radio repair for the Wehrmacht, converge during the siege of a walled Breton port. Doerr's Pulitzer winner alternates their paths in short, luminous chapters.
At a glance
war novelhistorical fiction
Difficulty 4/10fast pace530 pagesShort alternating chapters and clear prose keep an intricate dual timeline easy to follow.
Deep dive
How a blind girl and a boy drafted into hunting resistance radio signals are already connected years before they meet, and what the 'cursed' diamond is really carrying.
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