Everything is Illuminated (2006)

By Jonathan Safran Foer
I’ve been trying to write this review for ages and can never get anything coherent out. From what I can tell, Foer is one of the latest darlings of the literary world, a bit of a boy genius, and his book is suitably complex and unique in style and subject matter. Foer once tried to find a Ukrainian woman who saved his Jewish grandfather from the Nazis, and he has used this true story as the spring board for Everything is Illuminated, even including himself as a character in the book.

More often, however, the story is told from the viewpoint of Alexander, a young Ukrainian man who Foer hires to be his guide and translator in Ukraine. Alex’s command of the English language is less than perfect, but very entertaining. (It does make the start of the novel a bit hard going, though, until you get used to Alex's unique vocabulary). Alex’s cranky sort-of anti-Semitic grandfather (who claims to be blind) is their driver, as they search for the town where Foer’s grandfather used to live, and they are also accompanied by Alex’s good-natured but rather slobbery dog, Sammy Davis Jr Jr. At the start of the book Alex is not a terribly likeable character, but it is his story that was the most moving in the end for me, in a book that involves the stories of many people from many different generations.

I really enjoyed this book and am keen to read Foer’s next novel, which is apparently about a child searching for his father on the day the Twin Towers collapsed in New York City. Foer’s writing style is engaging, humorous and unique, although a few ‘literary devices’ towards the end of the book seemed a bit silly. I think you should read this book, because people will probably be talking about it at parties. Also, it’s good.

Rating: 9 out of 10