Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Read October 2009. 
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

The Scoop: Written by Jonathan Safran Foer (US), who debuted to overwhelming acclaim with Everything Is Illuminated. Published by Houghton Mifflin in 2005. One of the first fictional novels to incorporate the September 11th attacks (specifically those of the Twin Towers) as a theme and major plot point.

The Ingredients: First-person narration primarily through the eyes of young Oskar Schell, but also through letters written by his grandparents, addressed to Oskar or his father. The parallel stories revolve around devastation dealt by single tragic events - the 9/11 attacks that killed Oskar's father, and the WWII Allied bombing of Dresden, Germany, the hometown of Oskar's grandparents. Oskar finds a key he believes belonged to his father and embarks on a journey to discover how it relates to his father's death, as he is sure there is an answer there. Also interspersed throughout the novel are pictures, blank and nearly-blank pages, different type and formatting, etc, to create another level and make connections.

Serves: Most age groups. Some sexual descriptions, but mostly suitable for even preteen/elementary-schoolers (I can see myself having read this in elementary school had it been available).

[Chapter 1] What The?: What about a teakettle? What if the spout opened and closed when the steam came out, so it would become a mouth, and it could whistle pretty melodies, or do Shakespeare, or just crack up with me? [5/5 Draws you in and also gives great insight to the creative mind of the narrator.]

Result: A really beautiful presentation of a story. It'd be hard to not feel for and be touched by young Oskar (although I sheepishly admit he occasionally got on my nerves). I loved the formatting, the characters (their complexities and details, their stories, their interactions with Oskar), and how Foer connects everything. It's a very moving novel and feels so real - I could just picture everything happening as it happened - and I genuinely wanted this earnest and sensitive boy to be real even though his life has been touched with such tragedy. It was so refreshing to see the world through his eyes, because though he is only 9 years old and approaches things with childlike naivete and emotion, he also possesses a maturity proving he is wise beyond his years. I really enjoyed it and was moved to tears by the end. [5/5 Superb writing and story. Would definitely read and enjoy this again.]