Tring Book Club - All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I would have normally avoided a novel set before and during WW2, starting in 1934 and alternating at the beginning  between six year old Marie-Laure in Paris and Werner, a German orphan. But their stories over the next ten years are brilliantly realised in wonderful, short, punchy chapters. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a highly moving and emotional book, written superbly well and fully deserving it's Pulitzer Prize. The author describes an apartment: "the flat reeks of dead apple blossom, confusion, old age".

The novel is so cleverly constructed, the introduction of a third main character just brilliant. It's the terrific storytelling combined with the perfect characterisation that makes this such a satisfying read. The ending is also highly dramatic. The huge research and preparation that went into this book is there to see. And then there is Saint-Malo. This is the best book I have read in the last twelve months.