Marie-Laure LeBlanc lives in France. Paris to begin with and then as the Nazis approach she relocates to Saint Malo, which upon investigation is found in Brittany. She begins the story with sight but rapidly loses it due to illness. Her fascination with everything is enchanting. She is particularly interested in snails, shells, pine cones, etc. I imagine it is due to the distinctive nature of each object. Like many who lose one ability or another, she is afraid to try new things until her father builds her a replica of her community. For each birthday he would build her something miniature with a surprise inside. This becomes very important as the story develops. As she learns to maneuver the streets like she does her birthday presents her confidence increases. This preparation will not only enable her to survive when she is transplanted to Saint Malo but will help her to avoid the perils of war as many could not.
In Germany is Werner Pfenning, a young boy of a similar age
living in an orphanage with his sister Jutta.
He is as fascinated with mechanical things as Marie-Laure is with snails
and shells. He is especially gifted when
it comes to radios. This love of getting
radios to work and listening to broadcasts with is sister is the connection
between Werner and Marie-Laure. Werner and Jutta are listening to broadcasts
from Marie-Laure’s grandfather. The
broadcasts include a science lesson and classical music. It is all in French which Werner also speaks
and so does the Frau who runs the orphanage.
Their two lives will coincide again when Werner, a German
soldier, encounters Marie-Laure and realizes the connection between the
broadcasts he listened to as a child and the young girl he meets while looking
to find illegal radios. His decisions have
a lasting impact on both their lives as they exchange something of value to
survive. The true nature of this is seen
in the final chapters of the book.
The story has plenty of everything—drama, war, espionage,
disaster and horrific events. It is a story
that could be true of just about any two children growing into adulthood during
WWII. While Doerr does not dwell on the
horrors of war it is easy to experience them without having to go into each
terrible detail. Sometimes less is more
and he uses this perfectly.
This book is a story within a story within a story. In the end it simply a story!