All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr

“Your problem, Werner,” says Frederick, “is that you still believe you own your life.”

A lot of my work plays around with questions of free will. How free are any of us in the face of historical circumstances, socioeconomic class, systemic inequity, etc.? I hoped this conversation might present a moment of reversal for these two boys: in the pages ahead, Werner will come to believe that he can no longer achieve his dreams, and must simply try to survive the machinery of the Reich. Meanwhile, Frederick will act with profound courage and try to reclaim ownership of his life, albeit with tragic consequences. It will take Werner a couple hundred more pages to absorb the lesson Frederick’s bravery teaches him and try to reclaim possession of his own fate.