Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel

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It's a hit!

If Foer's phenomenal sophomore novel is about anything it's about Longing. For the past and for the future. For things you've lost and for things ... (show more)

If Foer's phenomenal sophomore novel is about anything it's about Longing. For the past and for the future. For things you've lost and for things you will never have. It's backdrop is NYC shortly after that terrible September day and it's most powerful voices are of the nine-year old protagonist and his mute grandfather, each with a secret equally heartbreaking. The two disparate voices wind up coalescing towards the end, but not before we are treated to a certain dichotomy that serves as the centerpiece of this novel: War and Terrorism, it's examples being the 9/11 attacks of the World Trade Center and the Allied bombing of Dresden. It may seem off-putting to some to compare the two events but I think Foer pulls it off seamlessly. Tragedy is tragedy, no matter what the source, and it's from the ashes of these two tragic events that this story is born. I can not recommend it highly enough. (show less)

 

 

by Jesse Rodriguez

No, it's a flop!

There's a reason children's books are generally illustrated while books for adults generally aren't: it's condescending to the reader. You can pret... (show more)

There's a reason children's books are generally illustrated while books for adults generally aren't: it's condescending to the reader. You can pretend you're pushing boundaries and redefining what "book" means all you want, but ultimately the message you're sending to your audience is "your imagination isn't good enough for my story, I don't trust you to do a good enough job bringing my characters to life inside your head, so I'm providing you with ready-made imagery". That's fine for children, who often just don't have the frame of reference to imagine everything in even children's books, but to grown-ups, it's insulting.
Putting that aside, the rest of the book is just what we've come to expect from Foer's breed of post-modernists: rambling, self-indulgent, filled with characters it's impossible to sympathise with. One of these days I'd like to read a book written by an American after 9/11 that doesn't have a character that was in one of the buildings or on one of the planes, too. Foer's shameless appropriating of one of the most iconic images of the time is just the icing on a very unfortunate cake. (show less)

 

 

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  This was the best book that I have read in a long long long time. From the first page it is funny, touching, and brilliant and the writing is unique and fresh.The story centers around a young boy coming to grips with his father's death in the World Trade Centers and trying to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding his life. But is written from a few different people's point of view. Sometimes these people are blurred, sometimes you're not even sure who is telling the story. But by the end ... (show more)

  This was the best book that I have read in a long long long time. From the first page it is funny, touching, and brilliant and the writing is unique and fresh.The story centers around a young boy coming to grips with his father's death in the World Trade Centers and trying to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding his life. But is written from a few different people's point of view. Sometimes these people are blurred, sometimes you're not even sure who is telling the story. But by the end of the book you begin to understand that this isn't three stories about people, this is one story about a family. I can't remember ever crying from a book, but the last 2 or 3 pages of this book are so touching and beautiful that I found myself in tears as I finished the last line. This is an outstanding, different, all together incredible book that you must read. (show less)

   

   

  by Ryan Jantz on Sep 15, 2009 at 06:40PM

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  This is a phenomenal book! At the beginning, I was a bit unsure what to expect because the story bounces around and it isn't entirely clear at any given point what direction the story is going in or how things are going to end up. In the end, however, that's exactly what made the story so good. As the tale progresses, more is revealed and more connections are made. The further into it I got, the harder it was for me to put it down, and by the end I was racing from page to page to find out... (show more)

  This is a phenomenal book! At the beginning, I was a bit unsure what to expect because the story bounces around and it isn't entirely clear at any given point what direction the story is going in or how things are going to end up. In the end, however, that's exactly what made the story so good. As the tale progresses, more is revealed and more connections are made. The further into it I got, the harder it was for me to put it down, and by the end I was racing from page to page to find out what would happen next.
  The story revolves around a 9-year old boy named Oskar who is searching for a lock (sounds simple enough, right?). This particular lock is opened by a key that Oakar found in his deceased father's belongings. His search symbolic of a larger search for meaning and an attempt to establish a bond with his father. Oskar's unique personality contributes to the unusual, engaging situations that he finds himself in.
  The story as a whole is about loss and sadness, but it is also about discovery. In addition, it is about our relationships with those around us and the bonds with those closest to us as well as those we see, but may not recognize, in our everyday lives.
  Certainly, anyone who has expreienced the loss of someone close to them will see parts of themselves in Oskar. (show less)

   

   

  by Ken on Jan 30, 2009 at 08:55PM

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