Review: Everything is Illuminated

Comedy and pathos are braided together with extraordinary skill in a haunting debut, a tale that depicts, with riveting intensity and originality, a young Jewish American writer's search for his family's European roots. Three stories are told therein: that of 20-year-old college student Jonathan Safran Foer's journey (in 1997) to the Ukraine in search of "Augustine," the woman rumored to have saved his grandfather from the Nazis; Jonathan's novel-in-progress, a fictional history of Trachimbrod, the Polish shtetl where his ancestors settled in the late 18th century; and letters written to Foer by his Ukrainian guide and translator Alex Perchov, an imperturbable Americanophile who boasts that he's "fluid" in English (in fact, he mangles it as memorably as Mrs. Malaprop) and blithely rearranges all his employer's plans. The seriocomic, partly surreal picture of life in Trachimbrod begins in fine magical-realist form with the story of a newborn baby who inexplicably survives when her father's wagon tumbles into the Brod River (for which she'll be named) and he drowns. Thereafter, Foer keeps the reader both hooked and pleasingly disoriented, as the narrative careens between Jonathan's sedulous exploration of "the dream that we are our fathers" and Alex's ingenuous accounts of their travels, undertaken in the company of his bilious Grandfather and an amorous canine bitch called Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior. The aged Augustine is (or perhaps is not) found, horrific tales of Nazi atrocities and of a bitter legacy of apostasy, betrayal, and guilt gradually unfold—and "illumination"—is ironically achieved, as these several stories fuse together. Summary would mislead, as interlocking revelations are the story's core: suffice it to say that at its overpowering climax, the river where it all began "speaks"—before another voice adds an even more passionate, plaintive coda. Beauty from ashes. And a vibrant response to Jonathan's grim aphorism "The novel is the art form that burns most easily." Not this novel.

Review: Everything Is Illuminated

Warning: The reading of this book may cause intense desire to join a book group and discuss gasp actual themes. In EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, the talented author Jonathan Safran Foer introduces the reader to the fictional character Jonathan Safran Foer, an American who journeys to Ukraine in search of the woman he believes saved his grandfather's life during World War II. Foer is not the primary ... Read full review

Amazing. Such an interesting and uniqe style and a powerful read. The movie relates well, too. Both are in my top ten.

Beautiful! I recommend reading this book and the second book in the series, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Foer is a fantastic author.

This novel is definitely one of my favorites. The way the story is crafted and the various plots weave in and out of one another, only to come together at the end... I loved it all. I especially adored Alex, his "seeing eye bitch," and all the other mistakes he makes.

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME AND THE MOVIE! I love the old man! this book is very warm and interesting you can't put the book down.

fun reading. warm and fun.

As you read, you can hear the writer's voice clearly. No wonder it became a movie. Good use of language with grammatical errors to highlight English as a second language for the second main Ukrainian storyteller.
As for the story line, it wove in and out between two main characters and their forefathers. It highlights the cultural times. However, I felt it is better if viewed as a montage of many stories rather than one story that was packaged well. It's an entertaining read. 

READ THIS BOOK!

Review: Everything Is Illuminated

I listened to the audio version of this book. This book was a little bit challenging. I enjoyed the writing style, employing separate voices and syntax for each character and since this was the audio ... Read full review