All the Light We Cannot See

What a heart-wrenching and beautifully written book! The author spent ten years on this story, and you can tell. I was skeptical about this book from the beginning, because although I enjoy historical fiction, I feel that WWII can be overdone, and the concept of a French-German relationship during the war did not appeal to me as an original story. However, I couldn't have been more wrong about the book.
It is impossible not to empathize with the two main characters, and the development of the secondary characters was just as gripping. I personally fell in love with Frederick, a young Nazi who struggles to fit in.
Probably one of the novel's strongest traits is how it portrays Nazi soldiers as more than just goons. The other fascinating feature was the beauty and depth of description used to portray the perspective of the blind girl. The way the cities and houses are described make you almost feel like you are blind.
For all its description and depth, it does not drag at any point. The book is written in short chapters with a back-and-forth timeline that forces you to want to read more. Furthermore it is written over a back-story of fantasy and folk-lore, with a deep underlying symbolism, which gave the plot far more life than one usually gets from a historical piece.
I hold back on giving it a perfect score because despite how well-written the characters are, the main ones can feel too perfect, and though the story was deep and powerful, it did not impact me in the same way others stories have. All in all though, it was a beautiful story.