When I saw the movie in 2005 with Elijah Wood, I was extremely impressed with the storyline, the humor, the underlying sadness of the story.

I am glad I saw the movie first because after the book it is kind of a let down. Not that Hollywood is capable of the different points of view Jonathan Safran Foer takes in the novel, but every chapter seems necessary. It all is a part of the same story which arrives at a complete end.

The story is about a writer who travels to the Ukraine to find the family that saved his grandfather from being murdered by the Nazis. The story is written from multiple points of view, traveling from the deep past to the present story.

It is not a quick read. It takes time to digest. There is a point of view of the Ukrainian translator, who speaks abnormal English. And even though those sections take more time to read, they have the most humor.

If you’re looking for a summer read that will make you laugh, cry, and continually surprise you until the end, I’d suggest Everything is Illuminated.