Jonathan Safran Foer "Full Illumination"

Many watched the wonderful film by Liv Schreiber "And everything was lit up" (in another translation - "Everything is lit up"). The basis for this film was the book of an American writer Jonathan Safran Foer «Full illumination".
"Full Illumination" is a writer's debutFoer, connected with the events of the Holocaust in the territory of Ukraine. The novel was published in 2002, and the screen version was shot three years later. The book was warmly received by critics and venerable authors, within three years the novel was translated into 15 languages, including Russian.
In some ways, the novel "Full Illumination" is autobiographical. Foer himself came to Ukraine in 1999 to obtain information about his grandfather. And the hero of the novel is a young American Jonathan, who came to Ukraine in search of his roots. Accompany his translator Alex, "Blind" driver and his bitch-guide.
The narrative is conducted on behalf of Jonathan, and on behalf of Alex. Jonathan tells the reader about the past, the history of the Jewish town Trachimbrod, that near Lutsk, which was destroyed by fascists in 1942year. And his Ukrainian translator Alex in a unique colorful manner tells about the present, about their journey behind this history half a century ago.
This journey will change a lot not only in lifeJonathan. Alex, learning about the past, suddenly begins to look at the present in another way, from an interpreter and, in fact, an outsider, turning into an actor and co-author of the book. And his "blind" grandfather from just the driver turns into their conductor. And it turns out that he is part of this story, but I would like to forget about it forever.
The subject of the novel is rather sad, but, as I said in theAlex: "Humor is the only truthful way to tell a sad story." Therefore, the moments of the book are ridiculous, moments are sad, and in general it gives the impression of a serious work written by a frivolous person. Well, or vice versa.
The plot of the novel is unpredictable: The reader never knows what awaits the heroes literally at the next turn of the road. Throughout the narrative, the author keeps the reader in suspense until the very same "full of illumination", Which comes not only in the life of the characters, but also in the mind of the reader of the book.
"Full illumination" is a true anda life-affirming tragicomedy about the connection between the past and the present. Traveling with the heroes of the book, the reader will discover many things for himself. And even if that "full illumination" does not come, the novel will definitely give food for thought and help rethink many things.
Quotations from the book
"The riddle of evil: why certainly bad things happen to unconditionally good people.
The Mystery of Good: Why certainly good things happen to people who are definitely bad "
"This is love," she thought, "is not it? When, noticing someone's absence, do you hate him more than anything else? Even more than you love his presence. "
"The only thing that is even more painful than being an active forgettable is to be a passive reminder"
"The only thing worse than sadness itself is when you can not hide it from others"
"I am not a bad person. I am a good person who has had a bad time "













