Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had to wait a few weeks to gather my thoughts on this book. There is just so.much. to process, I'm a little overwhelmed. So, first of all this book is about a kid whose father was killed in 9/11. This is probably the first book I have read about a significant historical event that has happened in my life time. 9/11 was a crazy period in time for me, but I remember very clearly the horror I felt about what happened and the fear (I had just found out DAYS, literally, before that I was pregnant with The Spawn) of what was going to happen next. Second, the book never says what's really up with this kid, but I suspect he's Autistic. So many of the conversations didn't make sense in a normal context, but once I realized how eerily similar it was talking to The Spawn (who has high functioning Aspergers), it was so much easier for me to understand the character and get into the story. I struggled a bit with the plot line that involved the grandparents - there was just some of it that I felt was unnecessary and really turned me off from the book. I found the use of pictures interesting, but not an integral part of the book for me. Overall, this was an okay book but I hardly think it deserves the big attention that it seems to be getting.

Synopsis: Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.


Recommended Reading:
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Man Walks into a Room by Nicole Krauss