Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

10/10

Foer is a masterful author. The first thing that pulled me into the novel was a series of creative and unique observations. The second thing that pulled me into the novel was the uniqueness of Oskar Schell and his family. Oskar is nine years old, over-educated, curious, confident, vegan and pacifistic. He sees the world through different eyes.

Oskar's relationship with his father is quite close. His father fulfills the role of provider and protector, but he truly shines in the role of teacher. Socrates reborn. Common activities include reading through the New York Times looking for grammar and punctuation errors, going on treasure hunts a la National Treasure in Central Park, etc.

On September 11, Oskar's father Thomas dies in the World Trade Center and Oskar's life spins into a freefall. Soon thereafter, Oskar finds a blue vase he had never seen before in his father's closet. Inside the vase is an envelope with the word "Black" written on it, and inside the envelope is a key.

Oskar launches on a city-wide quest to find the lock which fits the key, contacting every single person with the surname Black in any of the five boroughs. His adventures are interesting, moving, and keep you wondering what he will find at the end of the quest.

Intermixed with Oskar's story are narratives from two other perspectives - one from a homeless ex-sculptor who no longer speaks and has tattooed "Yes" on one hand and "No" on the other. He carries around daybooks in which he writes more complicated questions and answers. The other is from Oskar's paternal grandmother, abandoned by her husband, mourning her dead son, who lives across the street from Oscar and is an integral part of his life.

The three perspectives slowly weave themselves together and pieces of the mystery fall into place. Long-hidden secrets are revealed, relieving heavy burdens and healing rifts.

One theme I noticed at the end of the novel related to these secrets. The Schell family had a habit of keeping large secrets in order to shield other family members from pain. However, when the secrets were revealed, the other parties already knew the content. But because one party was too stubborn to share and the other was too stubborn to confront, the rifts and pain had grown and festered.

And that's just the storyline. Foer

You should read this book. It's intelligent, mysterious, captivating, and enjoyable.