Three voices (at least) in one at times make this a confusing read. It is clever, but when I can't seem to know who's talking, it makes the reading experience more difficult than necessary. But it is a very funny and very sad book, and I can't wait to see the movie when it arrives as a DVD in my mailbox sooner than later. ( )

This is a bit difficult to read, but sooner or later, the quirky English will amuse you, and as the story goes deeper, it will hook you in. There are many beautiful lines scattered all throughout this magic realist novel, but the ending felt rushed; it was as if the author realizes he is about to end the book, and everything was crammed in an attempt to shock and move the reader. It does the job, but one only wishes he took the story and spread it throughout, to make this promising novel less tiresome to read. ( )

In the full-length novel version of his short story "The Very Rigid Search," originally published in The New Yorker, Foer tells the interwoven stories of Jonathan Safran Foer, "the hero," and his family, and the story of his tour guide, Alex, and his family. Jonathan travels to Ukraine to find the village in which his grandfather grew up prior to World War II, and to try to locate the mysterious Augustine, a woman in a photograph his grandfather has kept for the fifty years since the war. Everything Is Illuminated is the story of a young man's search for his roots, and for the truth behind his family's secrets and mysteries, but it is also the more universal story of love, loss, and longing... and of permanent consequences of the choices we so lightly make.

From start to finish, the story is melancholy and mournful. There are humorous bits, but even the humor has a sadness to it. Having read now both the novel and the short story, it seems to me that the humor of the short story is no longer the point in the novel, and most of the humor tapers off about midway through the book. What humor there is, however, does not interfere with the mournful nature of the narrative, but instead enhances it by establishing an opposition and by reinforcing the steps we take to cover up our sadness.

Foer's narrative is brilliantly constructed, and draws on the themes and forms of such rich genres as magical realism, Yiddish literature, memoir, and anthology. Foer blends the best elements of all these genres to weave together his characters' intricate stories and histories. More impressive, though, is his ability to maintain such consistent tone. (I have only read a few books ever that maintained such consistent tone throughout; Lolita is one that comes to mind.) Tone lends itself to meaning, and one comes away from this story feeling both saddened and hopeful -- saddened by the mistakes of the past and the weight of memories, but hopeful for the free choices to be made by future generations.

I am doubly impressed that so young an author has such insight into life in both the "old world" and the new, and such ability to enliven characters of all ages. A certain suspension of disbelief is necessary to fully appreciate some of the village legends that are retold throughout the novel, but none of the characters exceed the scope of believability. All seem real enough, and make choices that seem natural and uncontrived -- Foer paints a striking portrait of Alex's grandfather, in particular, though he seems to play such a minor role throughout most of the book. At the end, everything is illuminated.

I loved this book. Written as letters between the narrator and his Ukrainian translator, it is a moving story about searching for identity in one's past. While the letters from the translator annoyed me at first, it was only because they were so close to being exactly what you would get if you through a different language into an electronic translator. The character development was phenomenal and I loved how the changes in the writing reflected that. Highly recommended read. ( )

As Foer's debut novel, this is a good, interesting read and I could see the beginnings of the style that he developed for Extremely
Loud and Incredibly Close. This is a more conventional (for Foer) literary style and parts of the book are heavy going. It's a warm, witty read, complete with fully-rounded(if odd)charaters. Foer's use of his own name of central protagonist gives the book a memoir feel (although it is fiction) and helped draw me in to the story. ( )