Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

by Jonathan Safran Foer

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweller, detective, vegan, and collector of butterflies. When his father is killed in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of a key he discovers in his father's closet. It is a search which leads him into the lives of strangers, through the five boroughs of New York, into history, to the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima, and on an inward journey which brings him ever closer to some kind of peace.

• ISBN10: 0618711651
• ISBN13: 9780618711659
• Publish Date: 1 April 2006 (first published 4 April 2005)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 28 November 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Mariner Books
• Edition: 1st Mariner Books ed
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 326
• Language: English

Reviews

[clementine]

I first read this book when I was 15 and I wondered if the years that have passed might have changed how I experienced it. Maybe they did, but I still love it. The intertwining narratives, Oskar's voice, all of it.

[boghunden]

I loved this book! Really, really loved it! I've never read a character that has been this well written. It's really amazing. Seriously. I can't even...

Now, I've seen the movie trailer a couple of times, and while I found it interesting, I never really felt the need to pick up this book. For some reason, I thought it would be too vague a storyline and would get confusing with the "find the right lock for this key"-part. I could've easily been a lot of description.
It wasn't.
If only I could have that first time experience with this book again, that'd be amazing. This takes "what a beautiful story" to a whole new level! I loved Oskar, Mr. Black, the rent-guy and every other character of this book.

This book has a lot of different fonts and pictures, which all adds to the incredible story, and that's one of the reasons this book will forever be with me.

This is a favorite again, and I know for sure that I'll reread it at least a couple of times. Yes, it was that good. You should all pick up this book and give it a try.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

I read this book because the movie is coming soon and it was a good excuse to read it. I’ve been interested in reading a Jonathan Safran Foer for a while (yet another step in becoming a book snob) and now I had no excuse. While the movie looks really good; I’ve struggled how it would work now that I’ve read the book. There is a lot of key elements of this book that would not translate well in a movie, for example Oskar’s inner thoughts, the letters he writes to random people that interest him and then there is the renter (Oskar’s grandfather) who doesn’t speak at all and writes everything on paper for others to read.

This book was such a pleasure to read, while it’s not a particular exciting plot; the characters and the writing were just so great that it was nothing but a joy to read. I’ve heard people call Jonathan Safran Foer’s writing manipulative and even overly sweet and I can see what they are saying, in this book everyone seemed to be nice and have very little flaws but for me I think this is just simply because this particular story was told by a 9 year old boy. There are a lot of elements of trauma and mourning as the family struggle to come to terms with the events of 9/11 and losing someone so close to them. Even Oskar himself struggles between self-destruction and self-preservation throughout this book but overall the book comes across as very lights and sweet.

I really did enjoy this book, while I might have some issues with the book and the upcoming moving adaptation I highly recommend this book. Not often do I get such pleasure in the writing style of a book but Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was one of those books I liked simply because it was beautifully written.

[Eve1972]

Wow, this one was heart wrenching and amazing. I lost count of the time my eyes filled with tears! The writing is beautiful, the storylines heartbreaking. The author uses various visual techniques that includes photographs, diagrams, blank pages etc. that creates a true intensity to the story. I really don't know what else to say other then I think this should be on everyone's *must read* list!