Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (2005)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer


                I’m going to be completely honest and upfront, this book is extremely awkward. It’s the story of Oskar Shell and how he heals after his father dies in the September 11th terrorist attacks. His father had called the apartment more than once during the attack and Oskar heard the last message but was unable to answer the phone. Over a year after his father’s death he finds a key in an envelope in a blue vase and goes on a quest across New York trying to find the lock the key opens. His only clue is the word Black written on the envelope in red ink.
                The narrative is what got me with this novel. The author had three different narrators speaking throughout the book: Oskar, his grandmother and his grandfather who left his grandmother before his father was born. This story encompasses all three of them and the events that happened throughout their lives. The only narrator I ever liked throughout the story was Oskar and his was the most straightforward of the bunch, which is saying something. The author never reveals if Oskar is diagnosed with something but it’s obvious by his writing and some of his expressions that he has a hard time understanding social cues. He was a very well developed and enjoyable character with a curious mind that I found extremely endearing. But his grandmother and her husband’s life never intrigued me. Their chapters, especially early on in the novel, dragged for me. They brought the story to a halt.

                Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was interesting overall and had some really great imagery but it simply isn’t story that will resonate with me. There were phrases and expressions that really caught my attention and that I really enjoyed but this won’t be a favorite of mine. A lot of this seemed really implausible, especially him journeying around so much of the city largely unsupervised. I give this novel 3 out of 5 stars. A book with a narrator different from one I have ever had before but not one that I would widely recommend. 

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