Top 16 Books Like All The Light We Cannot See Updated 04 /2024

I'm here to promote novels like ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, which is easily one of the most popular and influential books of the previous decade. This isn't going to be difficult at all! I've compiled a list of must-read books for fans of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, despite the daunting endeavor. Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig are absent from these comparative novels, but the characters and narrative will enthrall you in their absence. All of the books are set in World War II, so you'll learn a lot about this period of history from them.

The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa

In this video, Anthony Doerr describes that the wonder and connection of radio during WWII prompted the beginning of his best-selling novel. In addition, there are two intertwined stories in the plot, which echoes the theme of communication and storytelling. Similarly, Armando Lucas Correa's novel, set in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution, is based on a wartime event that is told through alternating narratives. The SS St. Louis, which carried Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany but was denied access to ports abroad because of its Jewish passengers, was the subject of the author's years of research. While switching between Hannah's time in Berlin in 1939 and Anna's time in present-day New York, the themes of survival, travel, rescue, loss, and hope resound throughout THE GERMAN GIRL. They are linked through time and continents in this novel's narrative, which builds steadily to an apocalyptic ending.

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Like ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, THE PARIS LIBRARY examines the power of literature to bring people together. During World War II, the American Library in Paris was visited by a group of intrepid librarians who gave books to Jewish people who had been forbidden from entering the library by the Nazis. In the 1980s, a young girl named Lily conducts an in-depth interview with Odile for a class project. A librarian at the American Library in Paris, Janet Skeslien Charles was also an author. Throughout this incredible novel, she displays a genuine love for libraries and storytelling, making this novel a true homage to them.

The Good at Heart by Ursula Werner

It's sad to think of Werner Pfennig's tension between his predicted trajectory and where he wants to end up while reading ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. As a student in a German state school during World War II, Werner looks forward to his future as a Nazi party member, but his enthusiasm is tempered by the knowledge that he will be expected to join. Also, in the novel THE GOOD AT HEART, which is based on the recollections of Ursula Werner's great-grandfather, a German family flees to their vacation home in southern Germany during WWII and experiences three grueling days. As the Nazi father of the family arrives, just as one of the ladies is valiantly attempting to hide two Polish Jewish immigrants, the women's genuine inner lives, dreams, and anxieties are revealed over the course of the following few days.

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama

THE STREET OF A THOUSAND BLOOMS is an excellent example of historical fiction that immerses the reader in another time and place. The story follows two brothers in WWII Japan, one of them is training to be a sumo wrestler while the other is learning how to carve masks for the stage. Because their aims and peculiarities are so well-developed, you begin to feel like you know them as the story progresses. In over three decades, the events of Pearl Harbor, Tokyo's firebombing, and Japan's postwar transition have been chronicled. This book is a must-read for everyone who like Doerr's exquisite style.

Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy

When an author can appear to inhabit the minds of multiple characters, as Anthony Doerr does, it feels like magic. In GONE TO SOLDIERS, author Marge Piercy takes on this issue, exposing the lives of six women and four men during World War II via their stories. We get to know people from many walks of life, from the French Jewish resistance to American manufacturing workers to aspiring journalists. With so much attention to detail and research, you feel like you know the characters. An expert depiction of a beautiful humanity in opposition to the hideous inhumanity of war is provided by Anthony Doerr and Marge Piercy, together.

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

If you're looking for another book that portrays war through the eyes of a child in a realistic and devastating manner, I recommend J. G. Ballard's EMPIRE SUN. After the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, a little British child ends up in an internment camp without his parents, where he grows up witnessing the changes in the POW camp around him. An account of the author's own experiences, this work depicts trauma in all its complexities and ambiguities, from the dissonance of his emotions to his dilemmas about morality and ethics.

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

When Chris Cleave discovered letters between his grandparents, one stationed in Malta and the other in England, before they met, he was inspired to create EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN. Everybody Brave Is Forgiven tells the story of four young Brits, including evacuee Mary, her school administrator, Tom, Alistair, and Hilda, Mary's best friend who has feelings for Alistair and complicates the situation even further. Amidst the climax of the conflict, this love quadrangle twists and intensifies. Like ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, this sprawling work explores themes of lost connections, brilliantly handled multi-perspective narratives, and the horrific reality of war.

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

All the Light We Cannot See is one of my favorite books of all time, and this one is a lot like it because of its character-driven plot. Instead of post-World War II Paris, we're in post-World War II South Africa. This novel is great because of the characters' determination and compassion, as well as a heartfelt coming-of-age story. Peekay, who was bullied as a child, shows incredible strength of character as he absorbs the good traits of individuals around him and questions or passively observes the bad. During his journey around the country, Peekay encounters a diverse group of South Africans from various cultural backgrounds. These encounters include a train conductor who instills in him a desire and enthusiasm for boxing, a German professor who shares his curiosity for plants, and many more! It is through Peekay's encounters that you learn about various cultures, personalities, and ways of life.

---