Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is set up in a way that I have never read before and creates a brand new way to truly connect with the character's true feelings. The set up is a mash-up between photos, letters from different characters, journals, and a traditional story that is written in the present time of the story. Since the story’s setup is constantly changing, it creates an interesting change and makes it much more interesting. The novel is told through the eyes of 9 year old Oskar Schell as he struggles to recover from the death of his father in the 9/11 attacks. From the surface, it is a novel about September 11th. But, once deeper into the novel, it is obvious that the deeper meaning is about coping with loss, what tragedy truly does to people and how difficult it can be to move on after a tragedy. The overall plot of the story follows a family’s story and feelings of the 9/11 attacks through three generations. The readers is introduced to the feelings of the son, wife, and father of Thomas, Oskar’s father, after his death. The main protagonist is Oskar, a precocious boy struggling to deal with his father's death. It is very noticeable that Oskar thinks of situations in the way an adult might, given that he is reading “A Brief History Of Time” during the novel, and actively thinks out loud, even questioning the true meaning of oblivion. From the start of the novel, it is evident that Oskar acts nothing like an average 9 year old; this excessive knowledge helps create questioning on whether this novel is fiction or a true story, like it states that it is. His excessive knowledge shows his maturity for his age and there are multiple moments throughout the novel that it seems as though a 9 year old could never do that. For example, an average 9 year old would not be able to go to every New York resident with the last name “Black”, but in the novel, Oskar is able to do this with the help of Mr. Black. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has one set plot, but it split into three parts in the way it is told. They include Oskar searching New York City for a lock to match a key he finds in his dad's closet that was in an envelope that had “Black” written on it, letters to Oskar from his grandmother, and unsent letters to Oskar's father that were written by the renter, who is actually Oskar’s grandfather. The author uses distinctive styles of writing for each part so the reader feels like it is truly three different people writing their stories. Even though this story’s main focus was about Oskar’s father’s death and a negative plot, the novel itself did not have a dreary or sad mood to the writing. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close had a hopeful style to it and was full of life, even if it’s main focus was death. This novel has parts that are funny and light, and at other points in the novel it is very thoughtful and sad. The author accurately communicates the confusing feelings and stages of grief and loss of a hurt boy. The setup of this novel, as well as the fact that it is written in the point of view of an extraordinary 9 year old, makes this novel quite uncommon, which is why it is so successful. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for an emotional novel. Personally, the novel hit me hard when Oskar admits to hearing the phone call from his father but not picking up. Watching a boy as young as Oskar try to make sense of his father’s death is extremely heartbreaking, but in the end it is evident that Oskar is beginning to cope with such a huge loss.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has one set plot, but it split into three parts in the way it is told. They include Oskar searching New York City for a lock to match a key he finds in his dad's closet that was in an envelope that had “Black” written on it, letters to Oskar from his grandmother, and unsent letters to Oskar's father that were written by the renter, who is actually Oskar’s grandfather. The author uses distinctive styles of writing for each part so the reader feels like it is truly three different people writing their stories. Even though this story’s main focus was about Oskar’s father’s death and a negative plot, the novel itself did not have a dreary or sad mood to the writing. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close had a hopeful style to it and was full of life, even if it’s main focus was death.
This novel has parts that are funny and light, and at other points in the novel it is very thoughtful and sad. The author accurately communicates the confusing feelings and stages of grief and loss of a hurt boy. The setup of this novel, as well as the fact that it is written in the point of view of an extraordinary 9 year old, makes this novel quite uncommon, which is why it is so successful. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for an emotional novel. Personally, the novel hit me hard when Oskar admits to hearing the phone call from his father but not picking up. Watching a boy as young as Oskar try to make sense of his father’s death is extremely heartbreaking, but in the end it is evident that Oskar is beginning to cope with such a huge loss.