Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

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Average customer rating 4.9 (43 comments)

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When the twin towers fell, a father struggled to leave some kind of message for his family. His young son Oskar didn’t pick up, and so begins a story of hidden memories, lost details, mysterious strangers, and tragedy’s wounds. Other tragedies wounded the world long before 9/11 of course. And other wounded characters wander through this novel, each telling their broken tales, in unsent letters, unread words, unheard tapes and undelivered—even unspoken—love. Coincidences aren’t the only links between these characters, and the story moves forward, driven by a small, intelligent and inventive boy’s desire to discover the truth (and so stop imagining). Meanwhile other truths play out behind him, gradually drawing the threads of a silent man, an unseeing woman, Dresden’s fire and New York’s horror all together. Each character becomes real, despite their difference from the norm. Each voice (even the silent) is perfectly rendered. And the story reads like a voyage of discovery, perfectly timed for the reader to follow along. Told with humor, pathos, angst and delight, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a cleverly constructed novel of our times, with protagonists who cross city and continents, get stuck in airports, dread tall buildings, know horror and find something approximating love. Disclosure: I borrowed an ecopy. Now I want a real one!

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This quickly became one of my favorite books. Foer writes in an unconventional style, combining words and images. The result is that this book will impact you deeply on an emotional level. The protagonist, Oscar, is a clever, witty child whose journey reminds you to always be searching for new perspective. The story is engaging - forcing you to laugh out loud, then cry, then laugh again. A must read.

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Extremely creative and incredibly well written! Am reading it for the second time to figure out how it works!

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One of the most poignant and heart wrenching books. It is so beautifully written and draws the reader into the world of Oskar Schell. It is impossible not to be rooting for Oskar to discover the secret of the key and to be pulled along in his journey as he learns to cope with loss and life.

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The subject matter could have been a real downer, and it was in places, but the unique outlook of Oskar made it into something inspiring.

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I found this book by chance and was so glad I did. This is a very different post-9/11 book and is a touchstone to lots of different threads: tender, mysterious, poignant, faith, and a youthful heroism. It is also a very creative book. I was excited to learn that it is now a theatrical release, but no matter how good, there is no way that seeing the movie can top journeying with this young boy in person. This is a book that I would keep on my bookshelf for many return visits.

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I really enjoyed the way that this was written. Very powerful, poignant and thought provoking.

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This book is really special to me, in that it was a story that encouraged me to make meaning of trajedy. My mom died four years ago, 2 months before my wedding. Living life after her death has been one of the hardest things I have had to work through. Reading this book brought hope to me. It reminded me that in the face of trajedy we should never give up asking questions, reminding ourselves of the happy moments we shared with our loved one, and living life with their legacy embedded in our hearts. Great read, one of the most inspirational reads of 2011!

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This was such a lovely book ~ I didn't have anything to read one night so asked my daughter-in-law to suggest something. She gave me her copy and I couldn't put it down. Very well written and the characters are so real that I couldn't stop thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. I'd recommend it to anyone.

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My friend had been recommending this book and author to me for a very long time and I'm glad I finally picked it up! It began very lightly, as you realize that the hilariously intelligent, pondering, imaginatively uninhibited narrator is a 9 year old boy. But as the story goes on, you slowly realize that his narration is always colored- by grief, or what he refers to as "heavy boots"- a 9 year old coming to terms with and trying to figure out how to really live after his father's tragic death on 9/11. As a reader, I was disheartened by the horrific circumstances of his father's death and the family's subsequent mourning throughout the novel, but I do realize that this is the reality for a lot of families who lost loved ones on that day. The plot is highlighted by the background story of Oskar's grandparents who are broken but still somehow living life after WWII. An incredibly profound, complex, and thought-provoking novel- Oskar's narration will be rolling around my head for a long while.

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This was a perfect novel. I have never read anything where I could feel the love (mainly between Oskar and his grandmother) radiating from the pages. It was that pure and sweet. The quirky voice of Oskar dictating his thoughts as he tries to navigate his world, will stick with me forever. Perfect.

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This was one of the most original, memorable and heartwarming books I've read in a long time. It kept me turning the pages so that I could find out what the main character in the book was trying to find out. I had to know just as he did. The expressions were priceless ("Today my boots are very heavy...") and the random illustrations were poignant. But more than that, the whole storyline of the book (and I don't want to give anything away here) was another unique perspective on a day that we all experienced. This is a book for people of all ages as there is something in there for everyone who can handle revisiting a tragedy while looking at it intimately through the eyes of another and with a modicum of humor.

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heart-wrenchingly honest, hilarious, and so so so clever. As soon as I finished this book, tears still in eyes, I wanted to start all over again. Such a good book. I've already recommended it to everyone I know! :)

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Every once in a while I run across a book that grabs me, that brings me to tears and laughter, to knowing and unknowing. A book that I don’t want to finish and yet I can’t put down. I've read many books that I can’t put down because I can’t wait to find out what happens, but "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer is the rare book that I simply didn’t want to finish because I knew that I would never again meet the character -- for the first time -- that I'd fallen in love with. It’s the story of Oskar Schell, a 10 year old boy who lives in Manhattan and whose father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Oskar finds a key that belonged to his father and he wants to find the lock it opens. A very precocious boy, he searches all over Manhattan, by himself, and in doing so comes in contact with survivors, of all sorts, on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious and ultimately healing journey. I have purchased, read (and loaned) countless copies of this amazing book and will undoubtedly read it again.

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Laugh out loud funny and heart wrenching at the same time. A beautiful book.

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This book is not like any other book I have read, I really enjoyed reading it. And, I loved that part at the end where everything came together and started to make sense.

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close not only deals with one of the most weighty events of the past decade (9/11), but also offers a fresh look at the possibilities of the modern novel, including pictures, color, different fonts and a flip-book depicting the story's final scene. Foer's narrator, Oskar Schell, is both innocent and wise beyond his grade-school years as he embarks on a search that proves, again, that the journey is often greater than the destination.

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I read it, and then I read it again. I laughed and cried. Not just about 9/11, this book is also about childhood and intelligence and what it means to live life by the heart. The author's use of language is truly artistic. This book is a gift.

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is my best friend's favorite book. When she suggested it to me and I read it, it became my favorite book of the decade. The tragedy of 9/11 is told from the perspective of nine-year-old Oskar who loses his father when the planes hit the towers. He tries to make sense of his fathers death by seeking the owner of a mysterious object he finds in his father's closet. The search takes him all over the five boroughs of New York (and he searches for a sixth) and through the lives of the people he encounters. Try as he might, he does not find an answer to why his father had to die. He does find comfort in his family, a few new relationships, and a little bit of hope and optimism. It's not exactly the happiest of books, but it is realistic and caries all the little joys of reality with it.

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Some people said it was too early to write about September 11th. "It's too raw," "Too fresh," "Too personalized." But Safran Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is about more than the events of Septemeber 11th, it is a story about how we lose and reclaim words, our search for meaning and the courage it takes to not only face the worse day but everyday of our lives. In a nutshell, I adore little Oskar Schell and his heavy boots.

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This novel is breathtaking. It feels contemporary, yet has a deep sense of history. Youthful, wise, poignant, refreshing... I laughed, got teary-eyed, and simply could not put the book down.

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Best book of the decade

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Beautiful.

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great story and extremely well written

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My favorite book of the decade was "Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathan Foer in 2005, until I read his "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" in 2006. The man is a genius and his writing is unforgettable. To have written only one of these books makes him my favorite author of the decade; to have written these two books makes him a candidate for the writer of the century.

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I found this book deeply affecting. I think the events of 9-11 took a while to make it into artistic efforts, and this book (and the documentary "Cats of Murakatani") were my first experiences with it as a major "plot" point. The young boy's quest is compelling and the visuals of the book took my breath at times.

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The best book I've read in the past decade! Beautiful, emotional, and an example of exceptional writing. JSF has a brilliant mind.

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Jonathan Safran Foer's second masterpiece Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close delivers- this is a poignant tale of a young New York child named Oskar, who searches for meaning and hope after the loss of his father who dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Oskar is an erratic but believable character because of the passion and levity that Foer put into the characters. Foer understands craft, and though the pictures and overlapping text are untraditional, he knows how to show the emotions experienced by those who have suffered a deep loss.

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Such a creative and innovative structure, I was captured and emotionally wrung out by the conclusion. I'll pick up his future works with care, to be sure that I have the strength for the journey.

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My favorite novel of the last decade. It is gorgeously voiced, constantly awake to its own path, and as kinetic as they come. And it will melt parts of your heart you didn't even know had gone to ice.

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This book is a stunning example of Jonathan Safran Foer's ability to draw on contemporary issues to place them into the context of history. But that is only a backdrop for a book which is really about humanity. His empathy for human nature bleeds through a story about human complexity and fragility, and the many imperfect ways that we deal with loss. It's a truly beautiful book from the heart to the heart.

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A close friend of mine said (and I'm paraphrasing): This book is as close to the great American novel as anyone has penned in recent memory. I totally agree. Its protagonist is precocious without being annoying, his journey heartfelt without feeling mushy or cliche, and the novel's style is unique and exciting without the usual forced over-writing that seems to accompany attempts like this. Absolutely loved everything about it.

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Definitely a favorite read from the last decade. Very intelligent and thoughtful book about loss and 911, especially as the main voice is a young boy.

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“Sometimes I think it would be weird if there were a skyscraper that moved up and down while its elevator stayed in place. So if you wanted to go to the ninety-fifth floor, you’d just press the 95 button and the ninety-fifth floor would come to you. Also, that could be extremely useful, because if you’re on the ninety-fifth floor, and a plane hits below you, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone could be safe…” (3). This quote, from the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, shows the speculations of a little boy whose father has died in the 9-11 tragedy. In this book, from Jonathan Safran Foer, the author examines the continuing relationship between one who is lost and those who loved him. He shows the complexity of secrets kept from family and the impact war has on the love of those involved. The protagonist, Oskar Schell, is a ten-year-old boy living in New York City. After an early release from school one day he returns home. While he plays his voicemails Oskar hears that his dad has left several messages. He tells his son that he is inside the World Trade Center and is waiting to be evacuated. As the messages continue Oskar’s father gets increasingly panicked. The phone suddenly rings but Oskar cannot bring himself to answer. Days after the burial of an empty casket Oskar wanders into his father’s closet. He finds an envelope marked “Black” and a key inside with no markings. In order to resolve his grief and guilt Oskar decides to go searching for the lock that matches the mysterious key. He meets people named Black from throughout the five boroughs and makes many friends along the way. Oskar’s story is not the only tale in the novel. Each member of his family deals with the death differently, however they each seem alone. Foer uses the letters from the two incredibly different grandparents to show the relationships between war and the destruction of love. These notes are intertwined with the boy’s journey and speak of the death they saw in WWII as well as the relationship that bloomed from the tragedy. Oskar’s mother tries to find solace in a world that suddenly knows only fear and Oskar cannot understand how his mom seems to be moving on so quickly. Oskar is left to find his own way to resolve his emotions. Overall, the book is about the struggle between love and loss for a family whose members all hide their grief and secrets from each other. I recommend this novel for those who are interested in reading something spectacular and intriguing. If you love good stories and enjoy those books you just cannot seem to put down, then this one may be for you. Also, anyone who is dealing with the death of a loved one may very likely find comfort in the story. Oskar is so remarkably heartbreaking, yet so incredibly fun that those who have lost someone will be able to relate to his “What if…?” attitude and continuous curiosity. Oskar’s character is so innocent and true that his emotions are relevant to anyone who may be lucky enough to read this book. Foer’s novel is intriguing and fun to read. It forces the reader into the shoes of an unconventional ten-year-old boy in his search for closure. Foer definitely accomplishes his goals of making Oskar relatable and is able to show the relationship that continues after the death of a loved one. Oskar says what he means and it is nearly impossible not to fall in love with him. The tone of the story changes throughout, sometimes it is sardonic and hilarious and other times it is sullen and regretful. I laughed over and over at his quirky attitude, yet I felt tears in my eyes at other parts. I loved the path I followed and the way Foer led the reader to empathize with Oskar’s emotions. I was impressed with the author’s ability to create such a wonderful character. Oskar’s wild personality has readers constantly speculating and unsure of the next turn he will take, but I was completely willing to hang on for the ride. Foer leaves the readers guessing as he constantly foreshadows ideas and events he waits chapters to evolve. It left me curious and hungry for more. The heavy symbolism seems to come together completely in the end. Though the last page may not be what one expects, it still leaves the reader feeling whole and glad he had such a wonderful time reading the novel. Foer purposely leaves some questions unanswered, which seemed to mirror how impossible it seems to be to find true closure. The story never leaves the reader hanging, though it may put one on edge. My expectations were blown away when I began the story; this was definitely a book that I hated to finish. I have never empathized with a character in a novel as much as I did with Oskar. Foer’s style and ideas come together perfectly in a well-polished and experienced manner. The plot unrolls as the reader speeds through the pages, yearning for more. I suggest you do not read too quickly. The book is worth the time and you will regret it when you see it come to an end.

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I was moved to tears more, than once. "Extremely High and Incredibly Good" also describes my mood reading this book.

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This book is absolutely beautiful and a must read. I have recently lost my grandmother, and young Oskars insights made so much sense to me at this tender time. By the last page I was left with a mess of tears and a heart more open than it has been in a long time. Be prepared to appreciate people in a whole new way!

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My teenage daughter insisted I read this even though I wasn't particulary fond of Foer's much-hyped "Everything is Illuminated." But this book is now one of my favorites. The 9-year-old narrator is so endearingly quirky, you'll wish he were at least your neighbor. My fiction-hating husband has now read this book and is a convert. This story of loss, ties, and the community we create has universal appeal.

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An eerie puzzle with symbolism, unsettling imagery, and unconventional writing. But how else could you deal with the topic of death at the World Trade Center? A young boy?s father dies on 9-11 and this is his story of how he deals with it. An incredible read---difficult for those conventional novel readers---but worth the challenge.

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A very passionate read, full of the widest array of emotions, as profoundly worded as possible, while still allowing for the playful childish protagonist. Sure to keep the reader's interest and anticipation, while at the same time tapping into a certain pathos, Foer's work is not to be overlooked.

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Foer's protagonist, a nine-year-old New Yorker, is extremely clever and incredibly charming. The novel is about a family history deeply affected by tragic world events; World War II and the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Loss, war, family, secrets -- these very sensitive things are what the story is made of. But don't be surprised if you find yourself laughing out loud in the middle of any given sentence. It's terribly funny, and yet still has the potential to break a little bit of your heart. In his very unique style of writing, Foer interweaves the personal histories of three characters, which are told from their perspectives. The main character is Oskar, the idyosyncratic charmer. It's hard not to like him. That Foer could create such a character is one thing, but to build a whole novel around him is that much more impressive. The biggests draw of this book is how creatively it is done. While sometimes straddling the line of realistic and far-fetched (you may ask yourself repeatedly "what child would do somthing like this?"), overall the book is made of characters that can be related to and sympathized for. Read it if you like things that are good.

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This book took me back to my childhood and the innocence I experienced when thinking death was an inevitable event. In this story this 9 year old child, Oskar Schell, is faced with dealing with his father's unexpected death and discovering a key that will unlock the treasured memories that brings about the realization that when we lose something we also can recover or gain something special from that event. There is a great mix of comedy and tragedy. Something for all readers can be gleaned from this novel.

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Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed Everything's Illuminated. WWII, 911, secrets, and people learning to live with love and grief...the broken pieces healing in uneven patterns that causes others to love them even more. I'm left wondering about the nails in the bed...

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This was one of the BEST books I have ever read! It's tied with the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, and Fight Club. All the reviews I've read about this book focus on the main character, Oskar Schell and his travels through the five burroghs of NYC, but equally as important and substantial are the sub plots: the history of a love (sort of) between Oskar's grandparents and the terrible tragedy they lived through that strangely connects grandmother to grandson; a struggling single mother who just wants her family to be happy and whole again; a hermit living in the middle of Manhattan, brought back to life by the light of a child; and the tragedy of a life lost. Foer has explained the human condition more acurately than anyone has ever dared to put into print, and all for the better. This book was a necessity I didn't know I needed.