Everything Is Illuminated

So, I had the good intentions to save up a bunch of book reviews to do all at once, like I'm doing with movie reviews, but the book reading is going slower than the movie watching.  So it looks like I'll just be doing book reviews as they happen.

I finished 'Everything Is Illuminated' by Jonathan Safran Foer a couple weeks ago.  It had been recommended to my by a friend, and I was interested partially because it's set in Ukraine.  I served a mission in Russia, so I was interested to see the author's perspective on that part of the world.  I had also seen the movie starring Elijah Wood, so I had a basic idea of the plot of the book.  However, going back, I'd have read the book first.  So, if you haven't seen the movie OR read the book, I would recommend both, but the book first.

The plot revolves mainly around the American Jew by the same name as the author who is researching his ancestors, specifically his grandfather, who came from Ukraine during the second World War.  He is especially interested in finding a mysterious woman named Augustine who saved his grandfather during the Nazi occupation of their village.  I found the narrative style to be incredibly unique and interesting.  Two of the characters, Jonathan and his native Ukrainian translator Alex, are writing novels based on their experiences, and they are presented to the reader as a correspondence between the two.  First, we read a section of Jonathan's novel recounting the early days of the village of Trachimbrod, where his grandfather lived.  Next is a section of Alex's straightforward narrative of their search for Augustine.  This is followed by a letter from Alex to Jonathan regarding the last section of the novel sent to him.  The connection between the two narratives is not immediately apparent, but creates some interesting contrasts among the characters.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel is Alex's butchering of the English language.  He uses words and phrases that make it seem like he's learned from a dictionary without ever hearing a native speaker.  He calls himself a 'premium' person, and rather than saying something is difficult or hard, he calls it 'rigid.'  The reason this is so funny to me, is that when I lived in Russia, there were quite a few people who thought that their English was exceptional, but who in reality spoke like a dictionary.

The thing about this book is that it's very powerful.  You're dealing with people who lived through the horrors of Nazi occupation, and might not want to relive these experiences.  Serious issues are dealt with.  This novel evokes intense emotions.  This isn't a book you'll read just for fun.  Despite all of that, I still recommend it.  One of the reviews on the book cover said that this book will change you.  I am inclined to agree.

Final Rating: 4/5