
What I Wore & Read
book EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED dress H&M shirt J.CREW trench MADEWELL flats ZARA tote THE WHITEPEPPER purse GIFTED earrings KATE SPADE NEW YORK nail polish FRUIT SANGRIA by ESSIE sunnies SCARLETT OF SOHO
I had a hard time reading Everything is Illuminated because it felt very much like a coming age story of myself. As I sit in London trying to navigate the system, I can’t help but feel trapped when looking back on simpler days. Though my hardships are nothing in comparison to the characters in Everything is Illuminated, it makes you look at your difficulties and build paths yielding forward.
History has been harsh on us in the world and I found this book to be an interesting take on the hardships experienced by the Jewish Diaspora. Looking at the future and remaining to respect the past. Everything is Illuminated plays with your heart and it’s easily one of those stories that makes you understand why Safran Foer is so respected.


The plot & context
The story is of Jonathan’s journey to Ukraine with a photograph in hand in search for the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He hires a translator named Alex, a young exuberant boy just younger than the main character. And the translator’s grandfather also joins the venture as a driver that continues to be haunted by the nightmares of the war. Jonathan’s journey and gradual introduction to his grandfather is told in different incarnations throughout the novel.
And though there are many themes within this novel that help bring it to light. One that I couldn’t stop thinking about was the theme of memory. Memory plays a significant role as Jonathan uncovers truths from his grandfather’s life. And though we think capturing a photo or holding onto a letter is something that will continue to remind us of an event or person, it is just as confining. The people of Trachimbrod, the town Jonathan went back to to search for answers, are obsessed with memories that in turn paralyzes them to get anything done. Bearing the memory of all the Jews endured during the war does not mean she’s a survivor.
Even though this is not the same, but I guess it helps me understand that my days should be more about forward thinking rather than keeping onto what I used to do, who I used to be and where I used to live.



