On Goodreads I rated this book a 4 out of 5 and I will transfer that rating here. This book was fantastic! This time, I was not let down by the suggestion of the anonymous ex-boyfriend (he was the one who told me to read Never Let me Go – see here for reasons I hated that book). Anthony Doerr is a genius. There was only one incy-teency reason it didn’t get full marks but we’ll get into that. The plot was extremely well organized, the characters were loveable but complex, and it gave me so much to think about World War II in general that I hadn’t really considered before.
The first thing I want to talk about is the sequence of the plot. It begins at the apex of the war just as the Americans are liberating Europe and then it jumps to before the war and walks you through the lives of characters living on both sides of the front. The reader ends up coming back to the apex moment several times as the climactic action is unfolding and then it takes you back again to the last observed period in the lives of the characters. This kind of sequence really made me focus on how time is working to provoke thought in the novel. Doerr’s use of time in the organization of plot makes you think about how long it must have felt for those who lived through WWII. When we reflect on this era, it seems like only a small blip of destruction in our past, but to be centered in it must have felt like an eternity. Running throughout the plot is an undercurrent story of a cursed diamond called “The Sea of Flames” which is told to have properties that protect the holder from harm, but doom their loved ones with a curse. It brings into the fold this common superstitious thought process when something terrible happens that a lot of people experience. As humans, we tend to rationalize the bad things in our lives as preventable in some way by our actions and thoughts. This curse diamond narrative was an interesting perspective as to whether the events that unfold in Marie-Laure’s life are a result of a possible curse that’s preventable, or if it is just pure fate. If she did not hold the diamond would her life be the same or were things going to turn out the same way regardless? Who’s to say?
Intricate details of what it would have been like to be living as a French citizen in occupied France (for example, curfews and ration cards) were paired with what it would have been like to grow up in Nazi Germany (things like censorship and Hitler school programs). Some of the decisions the characters were faced with are unthinkable and really caused some contemplation on my end of what I would do in their place. Would you torture a fellow friend if it meant you’d be spared a beating? Would you transfer resistance messages by radio transmitter even if it meant risking your life? Doerr does an amazing job at forcing the reader to think about the tough questions.
My favourite characters in novels tend towards the wise and sacrificing father figure. Dumbledore was definitely my favourite character in the Harry Potter series and Doerr created a similar character that I fell in love with in this novel. Marie-Laure’s father Daniel Leblanc has changed his entire lifestyle to ensure his blind daughter Marie-Laure has a normal and productive existence. He introduces her to brail copies of adventure novels and makes woodworked puzzles for her to unlock as their own personal secrets. Daniel will do anything to protect her and uproots them to safety by fleeing Paris to Saint-Malo. He provides some comic relief in a very serious novel too and who doesn’t love a good dad joke?
One character I’d have to say was the strongest even though they were only a secondary one was that of Frederick. He is the bunkmate of the orphan German boy Werner. Out of all the schoolboys at the special National Political Training School, Frederick was the only one who refused to torture a Jewish prisoner by continuously dumping his bucket of water on the ground rather than drowning the man by throwing it in his face. His actions carried terrible consequences for him, but Frederick was the only boy to stand up for his values regardless of the pressure to conform and threats that made the others afraid to contradict authority. Werner, our protagonist from the German side, was only a bystander and did act in these horrifying ways to save himself and continue getting special treatment even though he knew it was wrong. Werner and the character Etienne, Marie-Laure’s great-uncle, have these complex traits in common which shows that sometimes doing nothing is worse than acting no matter which side you’re on.
Another really interesting thing I think this book has to offer is the insights on the importance of communication. Radio was just starting to become the most popular mode of transferring information from place to place and its importance in this novel is hard to miss. Without these major technologies it would have been difficult to brainwash those people who would agree or participate in atrocities in the war, and at the same time, it provided an effective resistance tool. The fact that Marie-Laure is blind also emphasizes the importance of listening and hearing in the novel which radio plays an extremely influential role. It is also the cause of so much chaos. So many instances of death and chaos could have been avoided if only a clearly communicated message could have been sent. The method of communication and control was supposed to provide order and resolution but instead, helps the chaos expand in ways that were unexpected. The new technology also brings people from all walks of life together. I find this part of Doerr’s novel is particularly relevant now when social media and platforms like this blog now exist to bring messages to people in an instant, connecting individuals with mutual interests, but at the same time, causing divisiveness in political opinion and social issues.
Now for the reason I only gave 4 out of 5 instead of full marks: Marie-Laure’s blindness doesn’t always seem to be consistent. Yes, she would have a heightened sense of hearing which might seem almost supernatural, but some things were described in ways that made you think she wasn’t just relying on her other four senses alone. This is not a deal-breaker and shouldn’t discourage anyone from reading the novel.
Doerr’s novel was such an amazing read I had a horrible book hangover all day while I was preparing this post. I didn’t want to start the next one because I’m still in a reverie. More posts were promised though, so coming soon I’ll be reading Damned by Chuck Palahniuk which should be a shorter and much lighter read than this one. Stay tuned for something completely different!
Revelation Reading