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EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE by Jonathan Safran Foer



copyright date: 2005
primarily marketed for: adults

Extremely Loud andIncredibly Close is the grown-up book that made me fall in love with grown-up books again.  Or, at least made me open to reading them after years of sticking solely to young adult literature (aka Good Literature).   This book arrived on my doorstep as a surprise gift from a friend I’ve known since second grade, which made it that much sweeter.  

I can’t decide whether to be excited or disappointed that this book is being turned into a movie now.  Everyone needs to know this story- it is incredible!  I just can’t imagine the movie possibly doing the depth and layers and format of the story justice. 

One of my favorite qualities of the book is the way pages of images are smattered throughout the story. The images are jarring the way that they interrupt the story, and yet they are perfect in the way that they enhance the story—deepen my thinking as a reader.  How is the movie going to do that?

Another thing I like about this book is the way the protagonist, Oskar, is a nine-year-old boy, and yet he seems ageless.  Some of his thoughts and the inventions he comes up with are the best parts of the story.  This is going to have to be one good actor to make this convincing.  I am so attached to the Oskar I imagined as I read the book that I cannot imagine a child actor being able to pull off a believable Oskar.

The basic premise is that Oskar’s father has died in the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11th.  Oskar finds a key in an envelope marked “BLACK” and begins a search to uncover the key’s use as a means of feeling somehow connected to his father.  However, the basic premise is only the beginning.  There are so many layers to this story, it is nearly impossible to explain them all.  It is not just Oskar’s story that is told, and yet all of the stories woven into the book are part of Oskar’s story. 

This is a book meant for grown-ups, but I imagine you are ready to handle a story like this.  It is not one you can plan to read through quickly, though.  You are going to have to read slowly—you are going to want to read slowly—to fully absorb the beauty of this book.  If you have read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, you can take on this one for sure!
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Comments

  1. Deb DayJanuary 10, 2012 at 5:55 PM

    I have been so curious about this book. Now, I will have to buy it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda BJanuary 10, 2012 at 8:05 PM

    I've heard this is terrific and still haven't read it. Must do, I know. The movie previews do look good, FYI. Like other adult books, I imagine older students would love this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AmyJanuary 11, 2012 at 8:32 PM

    I've seen the movie previews and been thinking about reading it - the book is almost always better than the movie! I'm definitely going to pick it up. And I loved The Book Thief!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MotherReaderJanuary 11, 2012 at 8:42 PM

    The movie greatly intrigues me, especially because I've become curious about good kid acting roles. I've never read the book and am now in that weird place of trying to decide whether to experience the movie first or second. Hmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  5. melissa @ 1lbrJanuary 12, 2012 at 10:54 AM

    I definitely need a good adult book to remind me to like adult books again. This one sounds very interesting (though, the title made me think, for some reason, it was a non-fic book about an annoying radio personality :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. MandyMarch 13, 2012 at 2:37 AM

    This book is amazing. I refuse to see the movie!

    ReplyDelete

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