This is the story of a group of loosely interconnected people during WWII, whose hardships are all different, but have the same undertone of disparity. The narrative goes from France, to Germany, juxtaposing the two sides of the warfronts - the rigorous, manic belief of Nazi Germany, and the disbelieving Parisians, buried under an onslaught. And despite their differences, there is a light inside each character that shows how similar they may actually be. The ending is heart wrenching, soft, and greater than reality all at once.

The prose of this book deserves its own mentions. Eloquent, sometimes shocking in description, it's beautifully immersive.