Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

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Description

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man -- also named Jonathan Safran Foer -- sets out to find the woman who may or may not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war; an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior; and... read more

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Summary

Eponymous Jewish American author/protagonist travels to the Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during the Holocaust. The Journey is aided by a ‘premium’ local translator/narrator Alex, his blind grandfather and their ’seeing eye bitch’, Sammy Davis Jnr, Jnr.

Cast of Characters/Important People

Jonathan: A young American writer, born in 1977. In 1997, he travels to Ukraine in order to research his grandfather's life. He wants to find his grandfather's hometown, Trachimbrod, and a woman named Augustine, who saved his grandfather from the Nazis.
Alex: Alexander Perchov, Jonathan's guide throughout his trip to Ukraine. Also known as Sasha and Shapka. He is the same age as Jonathan. He writes and speaks in charmingly butchered English. Alex writes chapters for Jonathan's book and sends them to him. He also writes letters to Jonathan that critique his writing. Alex has an abusive father and dreams of a better life in America for his younger brother and himself.
Little Igor: Alex's younger brother, whom Father calls "The Clumsy One" because he is always bruised.
Father: Alex's father, who is also named Alex. He works for Heritage Touring, a travel agency that coordinates trips for American Jews to research their roots in Poland, Ukraine, and surrounding areas. He calls Alex "Shapka," meaning "fur hat."
Mother: Alex's mother, whom he is always frustrating, or in Alex's words, "spleening." She works at a cafÃ©.
Grandfather: Alex's grandfather, who is also called Alex, although he was named Eli before the war. He is tormented by his memories of the war. Alex is a fat old man with gold teeth and a persistent five-o-clock shadow. He recently retired from Heritage Touring, his last of many employers. He has been depressed and temperamental ever since his wife's death from brain cancer two years earlier. He claims he is blind, and he has a seeing-eye dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior. Despite his claims, he is the driver for Jonathan's trip.
Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior: Supposed to function as a seeing-eye dog. She is named after Grandfather's favorite singer, Sammy Davis, Jr. The youngest Alex refers to her as the "seeing-eye bitch" and claims she is deranged. She is always chewing her tail and anything else she can find.

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Memorable Quotes

“I will describe my eyes and then begin the story. My eyes are blue and resplendent. Now I will begin the story.”
“I was sired in 1977, I dig to disseminate very much currency at famous nightclubs in Odessa.”
“When we found each other, I was very flabbergasted by his appearance. This is an American? I thought. And also, This is a Jew? He was severely short. He wore spectacles and had diminutive hairs which were not split anywhere, but rested on his head like a Shapka. (If i were like Father, I might even have dubbed him Shapka.) He did not appear like either the Americans I had witnessed in magazines, with yellow hairs and muscles, or the Jews from history books, with no hair and prominent bones. He was wearing nor blue jeans nor the uniform. In truth, he did not look like anything special at all. I was underwhelmed to the maximum.”