All the Light We Cannot See - Doer

Apparently it took 10 years for Anthony Doerr to complete his epic novel, “All the Light We Cannot See”.  Let’s hope it doesn’t take another 10 years for Hollywood to adapt his novel for the silver screen.  This book, although highly readable, in tiny bite sized chapters, perhaps indicative of our shortening attention span in the age of microblogging, doesn’t stand as an epic achievement in literature.  If fails as a love story, it fails as an historic novel, it fails as a mystery, it fails as a thriller, it simply fails.  Hollywood, in a two hour visually enhanced (ironic) production complete with broad sweeping vistas of both Paris and Saint-Malo France during World War II, and with close attention to a soundtrack which would include classical pieces, such as Clair de loon, as well as the static of early radio transmissions, and the bone quaking vibrations from aerial bombardment, is sure to please and no doubt win cinematic acclaim in multiple categories.  

The story itself, could also be corrected to tie up numerous loose ends, culminating in both grand love for the hero and heroine and of visceral hatred for the numerous antagonists, of both character and of circumstance.  This book is destine to be a classic, because the movie will be a classic.  Yet the movie, will undoubtedly be better than the book, unless, for some ridiculous reason, Doerr would win creative rights on the picture and insist the storyline be kept true.  In which case, both would not be worth more time and thought than a best selling paperback that took the author two months to produce...let alone 10 years.  Without historical accuracy it’s not literature.  Without true love it’s not literature.  Without true mystery it’s not literature.  Good prose which Doerr clearly possess an unbounded talent to create does not overcome these serious flaws in his story.  

What he gets right.  The love of a father for his daughter.  The mindless machine that drives atrocity. The doubt welling up in the mind of ardent followers of a cause. The hopelessness of a military occupation.  What he gets wrong.  It fails as a love story between the hero and heroine.  It fails as a mystery surrounding the “Sea of Flames” a priceless diamond we are not sure whether to protect of cast into the sea.  If fails as a history lesson, there are too many things simply wrong about WWII.  It fails scientifically...for which Doerr has been given too much credit.  

The failures can all be corrected in the screenplay.  I can’t wait for the movie.  3-Stars for the book, 5-Stars for the soon to be movie adaptation, I hope.  4-Stars overall.