Mapping Memory and Perception: The City as a Living Space in All the Light We Cannot See

Abstract

Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See presents war not only as a historical event,
but also as an experience that reshapes space, memory, and human perception. Set primarily 
in the occupied city of Saint-Malo during the Second World War, the novel explores how 
cities function as living spaces shaped by trauma, survival, and emotional attachment. Rather 
than treating place as a static backdrop, Doerr constructs the city as an active presence that is 
continuously transformed through memory, sensory experience, and communication.