I am incredibly glad I picked this book back up. I first attempted to read it a few years ago, after it won several awards and was being lauded as simply amazing. I was apparently not in a good place for its complex seriousness as I couldn't get myself interested in the story. This time around, historical fiction was back to being my jam. I picked up the audio, which was a fantastic way to experience this story...especially given the attention of the novel to the sense of hearing via the radio and use of Marie-Laure's blindness as a plot device.

It is indeed a complex narration and there is so much thought and historical significance in the things that are included in the story. The writing is fantastic, detailed, and occasionally overwhelming in its comprehensive view of the situation. The bifurcation of the narrative into both Marie-Laure and Werner's individual stories was a brilliant way to construct this novel and it is filled with a view of war from their young and impressionable experience.

I loved the way this book moved and how it simultaneously endeared me and disgusted me. World War II is an oft discussed historical topic, but there was something so intrinsically different to this story. It was magical and beautiful while at the same time being terrifyingly heartbreaking and painful. It is certainly a must read, both from a standpoint of historical significance and one of artistic wonder.