I know already that this will be on my favorite books for the year. The one word that keeps coming up in reviews to describe this book is lyrical. And try as I might to think of another, I think it hits the nail on the head. Despite it's poetic style, it's a super fast paced read, as it bounces in short chapters between the two main characters: Marie-Laure, a blind French girl in an occupied French town and Werner, a reluctant German soldier, as well as a few chapters from the evil Nazi officer von Rumpel who is trying to track down a treasure that may, or may not, be in Marie-Laure's keeping. This book made me wish I was in school to write a paper about it, to dissect all the beautiful symbolism as well as the time period. I spent a few weeks during the summer between my Sophomore and Junior year of high school exploring Brittany, the coast, and many of the cities mentioned in the book, including Saint Malo. I really wish I had read this book beforehand!