I finished this book a couple minutes ago & I am still reeling from the shifts of intensity Foer manages to incorporate into his writing. Needless to say, this is a great read.
I didn’t really know much about this book going into it, and because of that, I think I was a bit confused at times. Well, that & the fact I started reading the book about three months ago, got busy and had to put it down, forgot about it, read other books, found it while moving & decided to pick it back up again. Note to readers: don’t do this. Overall, despite my complete lack of respect for continuity of characterization, I loved the narrator, Sasha. He offers humor, honesty, and complete & utter heartbreak in the span of the novel’s pages. I’m serious. There’s not many books which make me laugh AND cry…but this has definitely been one of them.
If you choose to read this book (and you should), there are a few things you need to know. This is not your average plot. Jonathan is writing the books & Sasha is translating & Sasha & Jonathan are traveling together & getting translations skewed & Sasha is writing to Jonathan in his stilted English…so good & witty. I appreciated this as a writer myself. Epistolary novels are rare, so I loved the added transactions between Jonathan & Sasha, albeit a bit one sided. If you aren’t paying attention however, this style easily brings on some confusion because of the narrative shifts. You get use to this-I promise. Soon the nuances of language endears you to the characters.
Also, this book is not rated PG. If you are in any way caught blushing or sweating a little because of scenes that become slightly risque, then there will be a few pages you will need to flip over, but don’t be surprised…and keep reading. Because, the jewel of this book is in the end. My literary mind was seriously going on sensory overload because of everything happening….syntactical changes dealing with emotional urgency, historical fiction dealing with the atrocities of the Holocaust, and plot twists that could have anyone reeling.
I can’t really say much about the novel itself, because I don’t want to give anything away. However. Foer does an incredible job pointing out that some ghosts hide beneath our eyelids & just won’t let us go. It’s the raw poignancy of the story behind this idea which sticks with you. Definitely, definitely pick up this book. Or at least add it to your list.
Favorite quote:
Try to live so that you can always tell the truth…
Filed under: Summer Reading | Tagged: book review, everything is illuminated, Summer Reading
hi! it’s @_lindsay from twitter. =)
i read this book a few weeks ago. i liked it, but i didn’t love it. when i finished i felt like i just missed something. i may read it again, though, because i really want to love it! i read “extremely loud and incredibly close” over the winter and LOVED it. halfway through i knew it would be one of my favorite books. maybe i just expected too much from “everything is illuminated”.
oh I’ve heard SO much about Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close…i really need to pick that book up to read. as for this one, i totally get what you’re saying. it took awhile for me to understand what the heck was going on…for real. ask my husband. once jonathan came into the picture-and the conversations intermixing with history intermixing with Sasha’s letters-i was like, wha?? but, i think the language is what kept me going. foer has an incredible grasp of the English language & his syntax is absolutely mesmerizing. because of this, i stuck with the novel & suddenly…i was loving it. ha. what can i say, i’m such a nerd.
thanks for the comment! let me know if you give it another try & whether you like it or not the second go-round.
Just found your blog by way of Jamie’s. Yes, read Extremly Loud/Incredibly Close! It is astounding.
I was also thrown off by the change in narrative in this book and actually never finished . . . though this is making me want to try.
Hi – I frankly just stumbled over your blog when I googled “Everything is Illuminated + confused.”
I wasn’t thrown off at all by the shifts in narrative or time or any of that…but I *really* feel like I missed something. I’ve read comments that said ‘we aren’t supposed to know the relationship between Lista/Augustine and Grandfather.’ I have a hard time with that. I’ve had the book for years and finally pulled it off the shelf.
It was SO beautiful…SO well written…poignant…moving…meaningful…one of those books that I have the urge to read with a highlighter in hand.
I laughed – I cried – I was humbled by his talent – and finally I was left with a quizzical look at my face that had me wanting to sift back through the book to find the clues that had escaped me.
I would love some more insight if you have any to offer!
Hey Erin! Thanks for stopping by. Yeah. To be completely honest, I’m still dissecting this book and it’s been a month & a half. It is definitely…definitely one of those books I will have to reread in order to gather my thoughts completely. I totally agree with you, though. The language? A-mazing. Let me know if you come up with any magnificent insights.