All the Light We Cannot See Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Saint Malo and our BookBrowse Review of All the Light We Cannot See.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Ten years in the writing, Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See is an epic work of historical fiction. With richly detailed language and characters who are both brave and heartbreaking, Doerr weaves together the stories of a French girl named Marie-Laure who has lost her eyesight and a German orphan named Werner. As Hitler's occupied territory grows, Marie-Laure and Werner's lives and families are torn apart by the war, yet this gorgeous novel is the story of people who, against the odds, find good in one another.


Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. The book opens with two epigraphs. How do these quotes set the scene for the rest of the book? Discuss how the radio plays a major part in the story and the time period. How do you think the impact of the radio back then compares with the impact of the Internet on today's society?
   
   
2. The narration moves back and forth both in time and between different characters. How did this affect your reading experience? How do you think the experience would have been different if the story had been told entirely in chronological order?
   
3. Whose story did you enjoy the most? Was there any character you wanted more insight into?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Scribner. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.