Play Book Tag discussion

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer - 1 star - My Review

I have previously read and liked a book by this author, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. So, I decided to try another. It did not go well.

There are two stories here. One involves the main character, Jonathan Safran Foer (yes, the same as the author), in the 1990s, searching for information about his family’s history, accompanied by Alex (a Ukrainian translator), Alex’s grandfather, and his grandfather’s dog. Jonathan wants to visit the village where his grandfather lived and hopes to find the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during WWII. The second story is being written by Jonathan about his ancestors. He is creating it around a box of mementos given to him by a woman of the village. It jumps around in time from 1791 to 1942.

I strongly disliked this book. The plot is unfocused and disjointed. It feels unfinished and actually ends in the middle of a sentence. The title must be ironic. I assume the illumination is of the people who pointed out Jews to the Nazis during WWII, but usually illumination is positive, so it is a bit confusing. A large portion is narrated by Alex, the Ukrainian translator, whose English is not fluent. I think this device is supposed to be humorous, but I found it annoying. Alex employs the wrong words in expressing himself and his grammar is atrocious.

I was tempted not to finish, but it is short. If you like direct storytelling, avoid this book. On a positive note, it is an uncommon take on WWII fiction. I believe it will appeal to those that enjoy experimental fiction.