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Genetta asked this question about All the Light We Cannot See:
[Spoiler Alert] Why do you think the author decided to add the rape scene? Does it add anything to the characters' arcs? Does it propel the plot forward? Does anything result from that scene? Frau Elena, Jutta, and the other three girls were already obviously miserable. The reader has already experienced the cruelty of war. Why was the rape scene necessary?
Samantha | samanthakreads I felt the same way about this! I just didn't feel it made sense because the scene was squeezed at the very end and we hadn't gotten much regarding Ju…moreI felt the same way about this! I just didn't feel it made sense because the scene was squeezed at the very end and we hadn't gotten much regarding Jutta for a good portion of the book at all. I'm super aware that rape scenes can be necessary in historical fiction to depict what truly happened, I find them so challenging to get through every time but I still absolutely LOVE the nightingale, which has some detailed rape in the book. But it fit and made more logical sense. I also understand that rape happened just as much after the war, but within the book I just didn't understand how it was necessary or fit the end of the book. (less)
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All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author)
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