One of the absolute best books I have read in my life - completely gorgeous. What a master of prose Foer is. Though it may be a tad bit difficult to get into it in the beginning, it is more than worth it in the end. Foer makes me proud to be both Jewish and an aspiring author.

Incidently, I found this book for the first time after it was first published in a bargain bin, for $1.99 CDN. Since then, it's become vastly popular, and was adapted into a film of the same name. Foer takes what would normally be tragic events and renders them into comic situations, narrated by an amusing Polish translator who commands only the weakest grasp on the English language. The point of view switches back and forth between Alex, the translator, Johnathon, the protagonist, as well as an unseen third party that details a rich family history. Easily, a story worth much more than $1.99 CDN.

When I saw that Elijah Wood was to be a part of a film called "Everything is Illuminated", I immediately decided that I had to go out and read this novel. Guilty as charged, I'm one of those people who have to read the book before the movie. Anyways, I went into Chapters, bought the book and that afternoon, sat down and began to read. I had been expecting an average novel, your garden-variety piece of Fiction. However, by the second chapter, I was very surprised. This novel was deep, funny, tugged at your heartstrings, and gave you a history lesson. All at the same time! This novel is a modern-day masterpiece. Jonathan Safran Foer's tale is one that is not to be missed. So if you are looking to read a wonderful book, one that you will keep thinking about for weeks after you've read it, read "Everything is Illuminated".

This novel has an added lightness, compared to other novels about the Holocaust, perhaps because it was written by a third generation survivor, now two generations away from the Shoah.. The author flips between the present and the past as though he's projecting thoughts from his own mind. There is humor in the present situation involving the author at the mercy of two bumblers trying to make a living in modern day Ukraine by offering tours to American Jews returning to visit the land of their parents and grandparents. But since the author cannot possibly reconstruct the past, he fills it in with assumed details, which are probably very close to the truth. The novel, therefore, becomes historical fiction. The descriptions of the lives of the author's ancestors, up to the time of the holocaust, are gripping, humorous and very realistic. Why ,then, have these past lives been mysteriously omitted from the movie? This is one more example of a magical weave of a book that you must read before seeing the movie, and better still, that you must read, period.

What is more amusing than the anamalous characters, is Foer's way of making every thought and moment in the book feel so close to the reader. He has a way of reaching into you and pushing all the right buttons to make you feel sad for his characters while laughing at their ridiculous ways simultaneously. Since this book was made into a movie, if you haven't seen the movie yet, I would suggest you read the book first. There is so much in the book that the movie misses out on and and doesn't even begin to cover the really touching experiences. Jonathan Safran Foer can bring to you with words what no director could bring to you with images.

A book has never captivated me as much as this. It starts with laughter and ends with tears. It's a story of family, and of love. By the time you finish you might just have a new favourite book.

I can't recall another book that made me laugh out loud as much as this book. On the other hand, it's an innovative literary achievement that maintains the ability to bring tears to your eyes. Read this book with an open mind and you won't be disappointed.