Summary
Highlights
Anthony Doerr briefly mentions his upcoming projects, which include stories about the Panama Canal, the fur trade in Idaho, and the fall of Constantinople. He concludes by thanking Marcia Franklin for the interview and expresses his anticipation for taking his book to the literary festival in Saint-Malo in 2015.
Host Marcia Franklin introduces Boise author Anthony Doerr and his critically acclaimed novel, "All the Light We Cannot See." The book, which took 10 years to write, debuted on the New York Times Best Sellers list and tells the story of two European children's intertwined lives during World War II.
Doerr reveals that the initial idea for the book, and its title "All the Light We Cannot See," came from an observation on a train about a man complaining about cell phone reception. This sparked his interest in electromagnetic waves and the invisible light that carries messages, which evolved into the use of radio during WWII in the novel.
Doerr shares how a trip to Saint-Malo, France, inspired the setting for a significant portion of the story. He emphasizes that while the two main characters, a German boy who fixes radios and a French blind girl who learns to operate one, do not meet until late in the book, their lives are intertwined by the war and the power of radio communication. He also clarifies that the novel is about love, not a traditional romance.
The discussion delves into the moral choices faced by characters during wartime, particularly focusing on Werner, the German boy, and his sister Jutta. Doerr reads an excerpt illustrating Jutta's questioning of collective behavior, highlighting the theme of moral responsibility. He also touches on the challenge of evoking empathy for a Nazi character, inspired by a photograph of a German teenager during the war, emphasizing that individuals are forced into difficult situations.
Doerr explains his decision to make the character Marie-Laure blind, noting his fascination with writing that relies on other senses and the heightened vulnerability of a blind person during wartime. He also discusses Frederick, another German boy who resists conformity, representing a strong individual who chooses his own path, much like Marie-Laure's inner strength despite her blindness.
Doerr speaks about the incredible amount of research that went into the novel, including visits to museums and detailed studies of topics like seashells. He also addresses the novel's unique structure of 187 mini-chapters, which helped him manage the 10-year writing process and maintain the narrative's momentum, ensuring a sense of joy and engagement in his work.
Doerr stresses the importance of his novel in honoring the memory of World War II, particularly as the number of people with direct memories of the war diminishes. He aims to present individual stories that challenge simplistic black-and-white narratives of good and evil, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of the human experience during conflict.