Book Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Read for: Orbis Terrarum – US
Oskar Schell is a nine-year old boy whose father was killed when the WTC came down on 9/11. He is one of the narrators of this novel and is by far my favourite. About a year after his father’s death, he finds a key in an envelope with the name “Black” written on it, in his father’s things. As his father used to set up games and scavenger hunts for him, he assumes this was one that was planned before his death. Oskar sets out to find the lock that pairs with his key by visiting all of the Blacks in NYC that are listed in the phone book.
The other two narrators in the book are Oskar’s paternal grandparents. I actually found these parts of the story to be distracting. His grandparents knew each other as children and were some of the few surviving family members of the bombing of Dresden during WWII. Their part of the story tells of their childhood and how they coped with this tragedy. I understand where Foer was going with this part of the story, but to be honest, I just found it distracting.
Oskar, who is of above average intelligence (and some reviews have said he was precocious, annoying and unbelievable), was really a very lovable character. I actually found him very believable. I remember how I felt when I heard about 9/11, but reading about this little boy and his search to find meaning in this tragic event reminded me again of how heartbreaking and shocking it was, especially for people who were personally affected by it.
The novel had me laughing and crying and it was definitely an enjoyable read.
Oh yeah, read this reivew over at books I done read. It says everything I felt but much better.
Post edit: I reread this book and changed some of my opinions. Read about it here.
Tags: Jonathan Safran Foer, New York City, Oskar Schell