Take a photo of a barcode or cover
allthebooks3000 's review for:
Everything Is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer
I would not say this is an easy read (believe or not, that has nothing to do with the structure, the elements of magical realism, or the different chronologies, but simply the way that Alex's somewhat humorous English starts to wear thin over time and can start to grate on the nerves, although I do really appreciate it as a narrative device, a source of comedic relief, and a dismantling of language and grand narratives). However, there is so much in this novel that I think it could easily keep someone busy for a year. Sure, there are some platitudes and the language can be a bit flowery at times, but the magical realism is so well done and the more reflective, philosophical passages are at least part of a complex, thought-out structure, infused with life-like characters (who, yes, get up to some really weird stuff, but that's all part of the world they live in). The build-up of the tension was really well done and things that seem out of place earlier in the book tend to pop up later in the story. It's heartbreaking and humanizing.