Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel by Jonathan Safran Foer
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Book Reviews of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel
Book Review: Walking with Heavy Boots
Summary: 5 Stars
Review adopted from my For Unofficial Use Only blog:
This book has nothing to do with Africa.
This book has nothing to do with being a Foreign Area Officer.
This book has nothing to do with foreign affairs.
This is a book about journeys.
And about getting lost,
and being okay with it.
I could tell you that the book is about a precocious and gifted 9 year old whose father is killed in the twin towers on 9-11 and that boy's journey to find some meaning and respite in the midst of his grieving.
But perhaps most useful would be for me to describe the places I read this book.
Everywhere.
I read this while running on the treadmill in the bowels of the PGON at the gym there. After my run was finished I stood on the dormant treadmill for ten minutes engrossed.
I read this stepping off the green line metro at the U Street stop. I read it while walking up to the escalator and then while riding up it in the right lane. And then I took three steps off the metro and leaned against the outside of the Quiznos and finished the book's final pages.
I walked home with heavy boots.
And I was okay with that.
Book Review: A Truthful and Powerful Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
I am convinced Foer will stay as one of my favorite authors after I finished reading 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.' A story intertwining lives across time and space, the book to me is really a powerful journey in all aspects. I am fascinated with words and prose as much as I am with art and style, and Foer truly gives me an opportunity to not simply read, but experience this novel. Like 'Everything is Illuminated,' the writing is refreshing and the style is wise. Letters, notes, and photographs pull the story together. It is tough to identify the book's theme because I see it as really about life, everyone--you and me--everything. More so, it is about searching for something and hanging onto that something, whatever it may be. Like life, the book has its ups and downs and it is truthful: parts that make you laugh out loud, parts that make you cry, and throughout it keeps me thinking. It may be the best book I have read all year because it has left me such a strong after-effect. I am inspired to write, to look closer, to care more, and to feel. I think it is a wonderful book for those who believe in imagination, those who are curious, those who want to grow, and those who are saddened by loss but have not given up on hope. I hope you will all like this book as much as I do.Book Review: makes one care
Summary: 5 Stars
This is going to sound horrible, but: before I read this book, I no longer really cared about 9/11. It had been too long, with too much politics dragged into it. But Safran Foer yanks out the politics and distills the eleventh of September to what it really is: tragedy. He does the same for World War II, something I had also been weary of for a long, long time. And damn, did he get to me. It's not about religion or politics, or even right and wrong. It's just about people, like you and me, who see their lives being torn to pieces and trying to cope with that. Trying being the operative word.
Each of the three narrators has it's own, very recognizable voice: Oskar is a small smart-ass, with language that's simple and to the point, the voice of his grandmother is slow and full of spaces, while his grandfather is always running out of time. I think the way Safran Foer shapes these characters a truly outstanding accomplishment.
The novel also has a very visual style. Most of the illustrations serve a purpose, and the typography adds to the language. In short, it has been a long, long time since I have been moved by a novel, but Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close did it. Read it, I assure you you won't regret it.
Book Review: What it is to be Human
Summary: 5 Stars
Some reviewers are critical of this book because it deals with the expansive topic of 9-11. I, myself, found this book to be worth the read. I think it is about the topic of how 9-11, and other acts of war, impacts a family. And this family would not be alone. Foer's portrayal of a young boy processing the death of his father (without a body available) was humorous and touching. The acts of the process are magical, but the processing of the emotions is highly realistic. The style of writing is similar to stream of consciousness (which I have not seen in a long time), but not quite. Right when I thought I wasn't going to understand "this section" it was suddenly clear and then Foer brought me right back to the main plot. I did cry at the end, but I also experienced hope. Within the book there is regret, disappointment, and wishes for a different outcome (from the main character). But there is also an acceptance of events as they are that can only come from someone who runs headlong into the grief process and fully embraces it. I'm glad I read it and intend to read more by this author. It's a good book.Book Review: Literary: A story about things that aren't said
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't sure about the premise, and I wouldn't have picked up this book from reading the description on the back. But I flipped it open to a random page, and was immediately sucked in by the writing. This was a narration I could sink my teeth into.
Having read the whole thing, I have to say it's a work of art.
From the very beginning, I loved this kid who narrates most of the book. I found all the characters, with a few minor plot devices excepted, entirely believable. It moves quickly, and the pacing is remarkably even.
I was telling a friend about how much I loved this book and the first thing he asked was whether it's fiction or non-fiction. What the? I said it's sort of historical fiction, but it's set in the now (at least for now, I can say that).
The part that really shined for me was the character who doesn't speak. It's a perfect analogy for the strengths and weaknesses of both writing and people. In that sense, it will be enjoyed by those who can appreciate that whether it's fiction or non-fiction, it is definitely literary.