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PLOT SUMMARY A young American Jew , named after the author himself, journeys to Ukraine in search of Augustine, the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during the Nazi liquidation of Trachimbrod , his family Shtetl . Armed with many copies of an old photograph of Augustine and his grandfather, maps, Marlboro cigarettes, and a fanny pack filled with Ziploc bags, Jonathan begins his adventure with Ukrainian native and soon-to-be good friend, Aleksandr "Alex" Perchov, who is his own age and very fond of American pop culture, albeit culture that is already out of date in the U.S. Alex is "premium" in his knowledge of the English language and therefore becomes the translator. Alex’s “blind” grandfather and his "deranged Seeing-eye Bitch ," Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior, accompanies them on their journey. At its core, the novel is a Holocaust story. The writing and structure received critical acclaim for the manner in which it switches between two story archs: (1) fragments of Foer-the-character's novel-in-progress, where he tells in highly literary English a quasi-magical story about the citizens of Trachimbrod; and (2) A straightforward narrative of searching for Trachimbrod, as told by Alex in broken English. They are tied together by letters sent from Alex to Foer and attached to Alex's version. Alex's narrative is most notable for its broken English, as if a foreigner learned English with a thesaurus without ever hearing it spoken. The novel takes its title from a quote in Milan Kundera 's novel '' The Unbearable Lightness Of Being '': "In the sunset of dissolution, everything is illuminated by the aura of nostalgia, even the guillotine." The passage refers to the philosophical idea that the greatest tragedies in life can only be experienced to their fullest if we are able to relive them. CRITICISM ''Illuminated'' received overwhelming acclaim on its initial release, not only from major publications, but also from many well-known authors, including John Updike , Joyce Carol Oates , Salman Rushdie , Isabel Allende , Russell Banks , and Dale Peck . '' The Times ''' review stated that the book was "a work of genius," that Foer had "staked his claim for literary greatness," and that "after it, things will never be the same." Later reviews downplayed the earlier ones and have criticized Foer as employing various modernist plot and thematic devices which may seem insincere to the reader. Harry Siegel of the New York Press has been critical of the novel. EXTERNAL LINKS
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