12.14.2010

Extremley Loud and Incredibly Close

Written in 2005, when New York and America was still reeling from the effects of the 9/11 attack, this Jonathan Safran Foer book is interesting and confusing. Narrated by Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old, who lost his father in the 9/11 attacks, and Oskar's father's parents. The three narrators are extremely confusing at first, because the reader cannot tell who is talking and what is going on. Towards the end, it becomes easier to understand and the story weaves together perfectly. The novel is mainly about Oskar's search for a locked box he believes his father left him, because he found a key in his closet. It sends him on a wild-goose-chase throughout New York City. Whilst Oskar is searching for this last link to his father, his paternal grandparents are sharing their stories. I cannot say anything about these- I don't want to ruin it for you! The writing in this book is confusing, at best. Safran Foer has an interesting style - he doesn't always use grammar, and he writes sentences that are sometimes a page long. He also includes pictures in his books, but not a lot. He also wrote Everything Is Illuminated, a fictional about WWII. The main character in that book is named Jonathan Safran Foer and he goes to the Ukraine in search of finding the woman who helped his grandfather escape from the Nazis. It also has three narrators - Jonathan, the guide/translator Jonathan hires in the Ukraine, Alex Perchov, and a third person narrator telling the reader the story of Trachimbod, the shetl that Jonathan's grandfather lived in. Alex's narration is in broken Russo-English, so that is confusing to understand. It was also made into a movie, Everything Is Illuminated. Both books have two story arcs. In Extremley Loud and Incredibly Close, it is the story of Oskar being told along with the story of his grandparents. I recommend both if you are looking for a challenging, but interesting, read. Rating: ★★★★

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