I first read this book last June and reviewed it here. I chose it for my book club this month and as I am hosting/leading the discussion I thought I’d better reread it. I enjoyed it the first time around but this time I loved it! I reread my review of the book and wanted to change some of the things I said but I decided that just isn’t fair so I’ve decided to link to this and just write some of my new thoughts about the book.
First of all – I love, love, love Oskar. He’s so believable and likable. He brings the story down to a personal level. Even though I was deeply effected by 9/11 it was still something that happened to someone else (especially because I’m not American). But this book personalizes it. It’s now something that happened to Oskar – someone who I like and sympathize with. I love that Foer never explained to the reader about Oskar – he just was Oskar. I really felt like I knew him, like I know him. There was no character development, because it wasn’t needed, Oskar just exists.
The last time I read this novel, I mentioned that I found the letters written by his grandparents to be distracting and unrelated. This time around I found the letters actually added to the story and really flowed. The story is about how 3 different people dealt with the loss of loved ones in different ways. I found this time that I was more interested in the grandparents story – possibly because I was less confused. I’m always the last person to get the “aha” feeling in these kind of books, so with previous knowledge of the back story I think I was better able to enjoy what it added to the novel.
Foer also does some interesting things with pictures and even with the text. I have to admit, the first time around I found it to be a little annoying and just sort of a marketing ploy, but this time I actually liked it and found it to add to the whole experience of the novel. It allowed me to feel more involved, like I was actually part of the story rather than just an outsider reading the story.
I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favourite books this year! I know I’m gushing a little but this book really spoke to me this time. I’ve discussed this with other readers and heard other book bloggers say it, but I think that a lot of what we feel about books really depends on when we read them and how our life in that present time frames what we read. I think this was just the perfect time for me to reread this book. Are there books like that for you? What about books that you’ve loved at one time and didn’t really once you reread them?
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