Doerr's story of German-occupied France in World War II isn't so much about the war as it is about his two main characters and how they come to be connected despite very different backgrounds and circumstances. Marie-Laure is a blind girl living with her uncle in France as they wait for word of her father who has gone missing. Werner is a young German orphan who was recruited by the German army because of his talent with electronics (specifically radios). While both characters are certainly shaped by the war raging around them, they are shaped more by the people who have been instrumental in raising them to be brave, curious, and good-natured toward others.All the Light We Cannot See drew me in to a time and place that I had little prior knowledge of, but more importantly, it also drew me into the lives of these characters. I cared so deeply for them by the end of the book that I definitely was sad for the book to end. I can absolutely see why this book won the Pulitzer-- it is a great story of the human condition, and one that people of all nationalities and backgrounds, ages and races can relate to. One of my all-time favorite books!