Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel (original 2005; edition 2006)

The author
Jonathan Safran Foer (born 1977) is an American writer best known for his 2002 novel Everything Is Illuminated. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, the novelist Nicole Krauss, and their son, Sasha.

The synopsis
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

The review
I am sure I read this book a few years ago. Though I could not really recall what it was about exactly I remember I had a problem reading it. There was something about it that made me wonder if it would be a good idea to pick this up again but as I could not remember what it was exactly I felt obliged to at least find that out. After the first 5 pages I remembered. I had a hard time reading this book cause the story was weird and going everywhere. I did not understand the whole idea behind the book the last time I read it. So I decided to continue, finish the book and see if I would get it better this time.
That worked. I did get the story better this time but still am not very enthusiastic about the book. There seem to be two or maybe even three layers in this book discussing a lot of things. Example, I still do not have any idea if Oskar was behaving like he is before his loss or if it is the psychological reaction to the event. There are signs he was behaving like it before, but he also says at one point he will behave normal again once this is over. Actually the whole Oskar story already gives you a lot of feelings. He annoyed me a lot but still I felt sympathetic too and sometimes I just wanted to hit him right in the face.
Next you got the grandpa and grandma story, which is a sad story on its own but is woven with Oskar's too. Both traumatized and having to deal with great loss, trying to survive together or not so together. I also had some trouble recognizing the woman in grandfathers story as Oskar's grandmother.
What did become clear in this story is how important it is to actually say things out loud. Grandpa is writing things to his son which would have made his life easier if he told his wife. But the other way around too, grandma had feelings and ideas about it that had she told grandpa it would have been easier to get over things. Oskar and his mother have the same problem. Oskar does not feel like his mother understands him even though she might be on to him more than he knows.
Despite all the negative feelings this book leaves me with I cannot say it is a bad book. It did make me feel things and challenged me to find the meaning of things, but I know now for sure I will not ever read it again. ( )

I have to say the number one complaint I have heard/read about the movie based on the book is that it is too soon to have stuff about the September 11th attacks. I don't know if these people actually read the book. The book is much more and September 11th plays a small role. Oskar's grandparents have already lived through tragedy during the bombings of Germany and losing loved ones. I did enjoy the book, but sometimes I got confused at who was narrating. The only part that was the most unbelievable was that the mother allowed her young boy to wonder the streets of NY alone. But now I want to know what was in the lock box!!!! ( )

This book is astounding. I will need to read it again because the first time was totally taken up with the story and the second time I will be able to concentrate on the language and the subtle or not so subtle nuances. Maybe even a third time so I can put it all together in my mind. I will be haunted for quite a while. ( )

I had to come back here and add the fifth star. More later, I hope. ( )

I loved this book for its comparison between the way that kids process grief and the way that adults do. While the book seems cryptic and almost gives the impression that Oskar has an emotional deficit, to me it seemed like a literary device to show a child’s limited understanding of a situation as grave as 9/11. Then, there is the mother’s apparent absence but this is, in my opinion, showing how adults deal with grief. I think this story also shows how life altering situations can make us change our view on humanity completely, as seen through the grandpa’s explanation of the death of the grandmother’s sister. This book also shows how missed connections can play a huge role in how someone’s life plays out.