|
| |||||||||||
What are readers saying about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-31 12:50:01.
(Language: English)
 
ELIC is the story of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, a wonderfully creative young boy, who's father was killed in the tragic 9/11 attacks in NYC. The boy's journey begins when he finds a key in his father's closet and convinces himself that the answers to his father's untimely death can be found with the lock to which the key belongs. Along his journey Oskar uncovers many of the answers he so vigorously sought and experiences the remarkable healing power of friendship and hope. Oskar's story is also paralleled with that of his grandparents, Thomas Schell Sr. and "Grandma." The two, along with Grandma's younger sister, were victims and survivors of the Holocaust and now are also seeking answers for their own healing process. The novel combines brilliantly unique puzzles and images with the originality and expertise of Safran's beautiful mind, which make it near impossible to walk away from. In an incredibly overwhelming and uplifting story of innocence and tenasity, love and loss, Oskar is sure to win the hearts of all who follow him on his journey. Through his creative genius, Safran Foer has created a character that will surely stick out in your mind long after you've turned the last page. I've read this book four times and will surely plunge head first into it again a time or two. For anyone who is a JSF fan (Everything Is Illuminated was incredible)this is a must have. Please read and enjoy! Also, let me know what you think!
|
Yes (0) 
No (0) |
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-20 03:39:51.
(Language: English)
Guess I'm on the minority side with this one but to me this is quite a failure. Foer is a unique writing, that's for sure, and in this book he goes further and further, proving us how creative and rich a writer can be. Multiple voices, intertwining storylines, stream of consciousness writing... And he creates a superb character in Oskar (although imo is quite hard to believe as a "real" character). But what is Foer wanting to explain us? To me he wants to describe feelings, emotions. And although I can sincerely value his attempt, the story doesn't serve that purpose well, because basically, he is not interested with the story/plot he proposes us, so it falls flat and unresolved. To me a book has to explain us something, and that something underlines as many things the writer wants to put on the table. And that's one of the tricks of writing: being capable of saying things through your characters and their actions, through their development towards the story. And Foer, besides the talent/ability of being original and creative, had the potential on the characters, but imo it nevers delivers. I can think on another book that deals with similar issues and that also has an original style, Slaughterhouse 5 by Vonnegut, and Foer pales in comparison with it.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-09 06:50:35.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed this book a lot. Foer is a good writer, and his book are always interesting and have parts that are incredibly moving. Howeve, they also have parts that seem contrived and forced. This review from the New York times says it better than I can, so let me quote: ll too often his execution verges on the whimsical rather than the galvanic or petends to be at its most powerful when Mr. Foer abandons his willful use of experimental techniques and simply writes in an earnest, straightforward manner, using his copious gifts of language to limn his characters' state of mind. His depiction of Oskar's reaction to phone messages left by his father as he awaited rescue in the burning World Trade Center, his description of Oskar's grandfather's love affair with Anna and his experiences during the bombing of Dresden - these passages underscore Mr. Foer's ability to evoke, with enormous compassion and psychological acuity, his characters' emotional experiences, and to show how these private moments intersect with the great public events of history. Sadly, these passages are all too few and far between in what is an admirably purposeful but ultimately mannered and irritating novel.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-24 05:58:50.
(Language: English)
My all time favorite book ever. About a special boy who loses his father in 9/11. But more than this, it poses questions of all of us- or rather, it should. What really led to 9/11? No, not the conspiracy theory or the politics of it all... but what is it about humanity (or lack) in the contemporary world that allows for this kind of horrific event to happen? Are we losing our willingness and ability to communicate and make meaningful connections? Pay close attention to the novel's sub-plot about the grandparents, particularly the grandfather, who slowly loses his ability to communicate. Hmmm. The main character Oskar will fill your heart with joy as he attempts to solve a mystery and come to terms with his father's death.
|
|
Ellen posted a review at 2010-09-25 06:24:12.
(Language: English)
I don't know if I have enough words or if I know enough words to adequately describe how beautiful this book is. It's one of the best books I've read in recent memory. This story is 2 stories in one, but the main part is from the perspective of a quite precocious young boy who loses his father in the 9/11 attacks. From the first few sentences I was totally drawn in to his story, to his manner of speaking, to him as a person. You want to know this boy. You want to be his friend. The writing is so different -- so unique and amazing. Oscar finds a key that belonged to his father and being the curious boy he is, decides that the key may be the answer to all those unanswered questions we have when we lose someone we love. He decides to begin an enormous treasure hunt of sorts to find the lock in the city of NYC and all it's boroughs that fits the key of his father's. Along the way he meets some amazing people. All of whom are as scarred as he is, just in different ways. I don't want to give too much away, because I didn't know much about this book when I read it and I loved the surprises along the journey. The pictures are amazing. The characters are so tortured and so well-written. I just adored this book. I just read that Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock have signed on to make the movie. Interesting?!?! It will never touch the beauty of the book.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-02 08:17:13.
(Language: English)
Nine-year-old Oskar is on a mission: he has to find the lock that fits the key that belonged to his father, Thomas. Oskar finds the key and an envelope marked “Black†after Thomas dies in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre. The super-intelligent boy, who wears only whites and writes letters to Stephen Hawking, then contacts everyone in New York named Black. So begins his journey across the city where he meets many crazy characters. Through them he (and we) discovers everyone has their share of pain – especially his grandparents although he’s largely unaware of their suffering. But we also realise it’s not about finding the lock; the important thing is the search. It’s the kind of novel you either love or hate. At times you’ll burst out laughing; others you’ll frown in confusion and yet others you’ll want to shed a tear. I love the various visual elements too - refreshingly different.
|
|
Ella posted a review at 2007-10-11 05:57:12.
(Language: English)
Extremely Rich and Incredibly Written I came across this book when I saw an ad in our local newspaper for a book club meeting, discussing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Not having read everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer’s first book, I had no idea what to expect. I fell in love with Oskar, an endearing 9-year-old boy who is struggling to come to terms with his father’s death. It shows how 911 impacted a nine-year-old child. Oskar in many ways is a typical 9 year old, however he is extremely smart and incredibly precocious. He sets out on a mission to find a lock that the key he found in his father’s closet will open. He feels if he could only find the lock, he would feel closer somehow to his dad. When I first heard the voices of Oskar’s grandmother and grandfather discussing their lives and tragedies, I was thrown off. I was not sure how these strange voices have anything to do with the enjoyable story of this quirky little kid traveling NYC. The grandparents story very much intertwined with Oskar's story, As they lived through the fire bombings in Dresden, their tragedy and Oaskar's tragedy are all parts of human caused disasters that end up with the same result…human suffering. This book is so well written, I was sorry when it was over. It takes a while to get into it, but once you’re there the journey is well worth it. Highly recommended
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-20 10:40:45.
(Language: English)
It took me a few pages to get into the book and understand how it was jumping around but once I did I was fully engrossed. We follow Oskar as he tries to cope with his father’s death in the September 11 attacks. Oskar is a special child who is brilliant, yet still is a child at heart. He finds a key, in a vase, in his father’s closet and sets out on a quest to find what it unlocks. The only information on the key is the word Black. He travels all over the city going to every person whose last name is Black asking if belongs to them or they knew his father. He meets some interesting people and becomes friends with several of them. His grandfather also returns to his grandmother, who Oskar is really close with and he meets him without knowing who he is. This book is not just words but pictures and what Oskar sees through his eyes. I find this book amazing and enlightening through the eyes of a child.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-16 10:07:57.
(Language: English)
Surprisingly inconfident for a writer who received a $500,000 advance on his first novel, Safran Foer heaps on pile after pile of David Foster Wallace-style tragic absurdity and formal experimentation in an attempt to hide the fact that he's essentially writing a sentimental novel. This supposed experimentalism may prevent Safran Foer from falling in with the Reader's Digest crowd, but it also suggests that he's a little desperate to keep his book "literary." It's touching, and at times it comes close to profundity, but at many of its most potentially affecting or insightful moments Safran Foer falls back on his cute formal tricks, leading me to wonder what it is he's trying to distract us from. The novel's best moments are its most direct, such as the scenes involving the young protagonist's troubled relationship with his mother, which shows the author's potential, but he won't fulfill it until he drops the supposedly postmodern facade and comes up with a story strong enough in itself not to need it. This story, as he told it, is not.(I say all this as a devotee of experimental literature, and as someome who likes David Foster Wallace.)
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2012-03-08 03:02:05.
(Language: English)
Oskar is like a modern Little Prince going through his own initiatic trip into our world, trying to understand life as he can with the help of many friendly adults. This boy has no idea how much he has been loved by the people around him, and it makes his grief for the loss of his father all the more heartbreaking. Janathan Safran Foer is a genius. His way of describing the harshness of reality through a nine-year-old child is brilliant, and the other Oskar is not less wonderfully brought to life. No clichés, no useless drama, just the incredible account of the extraordinary life of extraordinary ordinary people. The city of New York plays a huge role in the making of theses lives : it breaks them sometimes, but it can also fix them in an unexpected way. Let's hope that the movie is able to transcribe all these elements on screen...
|
|
Neil posted a review at 2012-02-13 01:17:31.
(Language: English)
Unlike some famous evangelical preachers, I didn't believe that we deserved the 9/11 attacks, although after we invaded Iraq for reasons yet to be explained, let alone justified, I came to an uncomfortable reappraisal of my earlier view of the matter. In any case, I began to feel that the loss of roughly 3,000 American lives on 9/11 was not more deserving of our compassionate attention than the many lives subsequently lost in the aftermath of our reckless invasion of Iraq. Don't get me wrong. 9/11 tore me up inside, and I still am moved to tears by stories such as this one by Foer. It's just that I feel guilty in my sentiments. Foer nicely, and significantly, connects his narrative to the bombing of Dresden and Hiroshima, which helped me in a big way. This is a strange but lovely book, nudging us a bit to be more mindful of the fact that everyone we love will be gone some day, that those we love the most may leave us suddenly, tomorrow, before we have another chance to tell them we love them. It may not be profound, but Foer delivers his moral with grace, and in the innocent voice of his young protagonist, so that any reluctance to consider this theme is set aside. The side story of his grandfather and grandmother is even more compelling to me, although very very strange. These two need one another, and yet struggle to communicate, to connect. Theirs is a story familiar in many respects, a common story of broken hearts and resigned silence, of a tragic loss of hope. Too much of their story was told in a bizarre manner by Foer; I confess that it was too much work trying to unpack the weirdness and sift through it all. I get it: brokenness makes us a little crazy, but as a somewhat lazy reader, too much crazy is a distraction. To sum up, lovely book, made me tear up, made me think too, but it is a little crazy.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-10 06:58:59.
(Language: English)
Jonathan Safran Foer's second novel is nearly impossible to describe. The book is, in as simple a description as I can provide, the story of a nine-year-old boy whose father died on September 11, 2001. Oskar Schell has spent the months since then in constant depression, made only worse by his prodigious imagination and intelligence. Some time after his father's death, Oskar finds an envelope containing a key and bearing a single word: "Black." Oskar's search for the lock the key opens is the main concern of the book, but the writing is really much deeper and more complex than the description would allow. Much of the book is told in the pages Oskar's book, Stuff That Happened to Me, written in a very loose, flowing stream-of-consciousness fashion, including the photos and illustrations Oskar placed in his book. Other chapters are told from the perspective of his grandmother, and still more from the pages of notebooks kept by his long-absent grandfather, who walked out before Oskar's father was born. The stream-of-consciousness style makes the book a remarkably challenging read - at times quick and flowing, and at other times dense and demanding of the reader. The characters are challenging as well - Oskar himself is a bizarre, damaged soul, but everyone around him suffers from their own peculiarities. One character gradually loses the ability to speak, one is compelled to bury books, another has driven a nail into his bed every day since his wife's death and doesn't know why. Much like the characters, the book itself is an enigma. It's compelling, but I can't really why that is the case. It's haunting, disturbing and beautiful all at the same time. It's not an easy book to read, but if you want to challenge yourself, it's worthwhile.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-15 06:09:07.
(Language: English)
I figured a story about a nine year old boy walking around New York City on and around the events of September 11th had at the very least great dramatic potential, and perhaps at the most something very important to say, so I took the chance and bought it. Then I read the book. There is a fine distinction between talking about emotion in the abstract and actually feeling that emotion. My concern now is that I will be unable to speak coherently on something that has genuinely affected me without in some way cheapening the sentiment. My preconception of the novel was that it would keep a certain distance from the emotional impact of the events of September 11th because they were being filtered through the eyes of a nine year old boy, that the child’s naivety would offer a suitable access point to the tragedy that we as the readers could in some safe way relive and perhaps reinterpret the tragedy as only a child could do. But, in the words of the novel’s protagonist, Oskar Schell, I am left with very heavy boots. Foer has not in any way diffused the emotional impact of ‘the worst day’ through the comedic foil of Oskar’s imagination – which runs rampant with an intensity only a nine year old could maintain – but rather has made it all the more human and tragic through this sidelong glance. Oskar is a formidable character who, yes, bears similarities to Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield insomuch as they too were formidable and they too perceived the world from the pocket wisdom of youth. But Oskar is also unique, an exceptionally gifted child who has grafted a piecemeal mythology of the world that excels his years in sophistication. Though he may need to google the historical facts other characters namedrop, Oskar understands the root value of things, and by way of his incessant ‘inventing’ strives to correct the failings of the world so that they fit this vision. The spirit of the enlightenment is alive and well in him, and though he shares some of Holden’s pessimism towards society, Oskar maintains a buoyant determination that is both inspiring yet hopelessly insufficient considering the gravity of the tragedy he is fighting against. In a way it is much like Don Quixote, the impossible dreamer who also eventually succumbs to the brute reality. Many characters in ‘Extremely Close’ try to protect Oskar from the harsh realities but it is to no avail: Foer’s prose is adamant this pain should sear. And in no other aspect of the novel does it sear more than in the unsent letters of Oskar’s grandparents. The flow of Oskar’s narrative is interrupted by these freeform letters which blur the line between poetry and prose and which contain such unceasing pathos that several times I had to take a break for my own mental well-being. It is this dark core of suicidal longing that weighs the heaviest on me, and which makes the chapters with Oskar feel like a necessary release, a place to set my hope for redemption in humanity. As the story develops, it becomes more and more imperative that Oskar finds satisfaction in his quest for answers, and that some fundamental good outpaces the despair Foer has painted with his words. I think the question of whether or not the goodness wins in this narrative is up to the individual reader; as Oskar himself struggles with in the book, the answers relies on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. Sadly I think I am the latter. A final note regarding the style of the book: a cursory flip through the book will show how experimental this book is with respects to style. Foer runs the gamut, mixing poetry and prose, blank pages, pictures, colour, manipulated text, all to enhance the psychotic experience that is at the center of this book. The word ‘psychotic’ seems most appropriate, because the novel feels like a catalogue of psychosis. This catalogue is given free range, nothing feels taboo in Foer’s relentless portrayal of grief. It is the grief of the grieving, a grief which lacks discretion and keeps rushing forward, the way Oskar cannot stop inventing or Thomas writing. Anyone who has felt it will understand the implicit syntax of Foer’s style. My exposure to popular modern fiction is fairly limited but from what little I have read I feel a strong association in Foer’s prose with that of Milan Kundera, I am not sure I can articulate the similarity exactly, but I feel it. ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’ is an admittedly hard but worthy journey to take, heavy boots and all.
|
|
Rebecca posted a review at 2010-05-01 08:56:11.
(Language: English)
I went into this book with very high expectations. It had excellent reviews from both WeRead and Amazon. I never read one bad thing about it. The storyline sounded interesting enough to me that I thought I would enjoy it at the very least. However, the opposite couldn't be more true. I found this book to be frustrating, annoying, and completely unbelievable and beyond silly. It was a mishmash of thoughts from a few different view points of characters and the writing just didn't flow. The main character, Oskar, was supposed to be 9-years-old in this book, but there is no way on this earth that would ever be possible. His thinking, actions, vocabulary, etc., was way beyond any 9-year-old. It just didn't add up and therefore made the story too unrealistic for my taste. At some point during the book, I became so annoyed with it, that I wanted to find the author and punch him the head for writing such tripe. Also, there were parts in the book that just dragged on and and on that I literally just skipped to the end of the chapter so I didn't fall asleep. I would only recommend this book to my worst enemy. I will say that were a few parts of the book that were funny, but unfortunately they were outweighed by the stupidity of the rest of it. Don't bother, really... don't.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2011-02-22 02:56:55.
(Language: English)
This book was pretty good. I don't know where the 1131 reviews for this book are, when I went to look at some of them there was nothing there. It made me wonder if Amazon has bought this site and it is a tool of theirs to sell books now? I enjoyed reading the boy's journey through New York in a post 911 world. It was mysterous enough that for the FIRST time in my life, I looked ahead. Shame on me. I wanted to know what happened on one part of the plot. I was not disappointed.
|
|
Linda posted a review at 2010-01-07 11:25:03.
(Language: English)
In the aftermath of 911, nine-year-old Oskar Schell struggles with the loss of his father whose calls from the burning World Trade Center he heard on the answering machine while he was alone in the family's apartment in New York City. Jonathan Safran Foer puts the reader in the head of this highly imaginative and sensitive boy as he seeks for meaning in the life and death of his father. The result is sometimes hilarious, but mostly poignant. The back story about his grandparents is a little too bizarre to be believable, but being in Oskar's mind is wonderful even though he often has "heavy boots" and is not feeling "one hundred dollars." Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close would be a good book for discussion, but I probably won't suggest it for my book club, beause I think they would find it weird and perhaps too challanging -- Oskar's voice is distinctive, but narration sometimes switches to other characters and can be a little hard to follow.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-05 02:59:10.
(Language: English)
This book absolutely destroyed me and I haven't read a book that has destroyed me in a long time. It even incorporates elements from three other books that have destroyed me. The Dresden Bombing from "Slaughterhouse Five," the potato shed from "Bluebeard," and "Time's Arrow." There are probably more, it doesn't matter. The saddest thing is that I know people who would hate this book and there is no way I could ever get them to think differently because they are people who think too critically and don't let anything touch them. Granted, I look at this book critically and I think it's one of the best books I've ever read, but I have a very time separating my critical opinions from my gut feelings about something, no matter what I'm talking about. I can see people I know criticizing it now in my head and it really bothers me for some reason, even though I know it doesn't matter and I know that I loved this book. I lost sleep over this book, I couldn't stop reading even when I had to get up two hours later. I took it everywhere, sneaking pages at work, in transit, and even tried reading while walking the dog (it didn't work). I want to have the optimism of Oskar Schell because I often feel like I am in no way optimistic but I secretly am. That's what I always said about myself. That on the outside I'm incredibly pessimistic and cynical but in my heart I'm incredibly optimistic and hopeful and I don't want everything to go to shit. While I was reading this I knew that was absolutely true, and that I wasn't a cynic and that I couldn't be a cynic even though things often tend to go to shit. There was something life-affirming about this book, to me at least. I kept reading lines to Jenny because I knew she would love it not just because she's an optimist and makes me a better person just by being around me, but because I knew she would love it because I know what she likes. I read lines and I read them through her eyes and I loved them and read them aloud the way she would.
|
|
Nellie posted a review at 2011-07-06 10:30:27.
(Language: English)
Still mulling this one over... Not an easy read because it deals with post 9/11 grief & coming to terms with loss and moving on. Yet somehow it is light-hearted (I didn't expect to laugh but there are some very funny bits) and also more poignant as the story is told from the perspective of 9 year old Oskar who lost his dad at the WTC. Loved the experiential typography, the use of images, poetry & letters to bring the story and emotions alive. Like many people I know exactly where I was when I saw those planes plow into the WTC and being in the US at the time witnessing a grieving nation is something I won't ever forget. Still processing so this book definately made an impact...
|
|
Kelsey posted a review at 2009-07-11 02:08:05.
(Language: English)
How could I have missed this?? How can I not have HEARD of this before?? This is just such an incredible book... wow. I was not expecting this at all. Foer is a wizard with words, and more interestingly, with the format of words. Changes between perspectives that could easily have been quite confusing instead became simple with the change of format-- not in font or size, but rather in the spacing. The addition of pictures, though I like the idea, didn't really work for me until the very last fourteen pages. To me, the magic of a book is imagining what is going on-- it's your world as much as it is the author's. When a picture is shown to you to represent the place, it takes some of the readers' imagination away. In most cases, however, Foer uses the pictures when he referencing that specific picture, and it certainly does pack an emotional punch. As for the writing itself-- Foer is absolutely insane. His main character, Oskar, is hilariously endearing and quirky, and from the moment you finish the first page, you can't help but love him. As funny and slightly off-kilter as Oskar's portions of the book are, his grandmother's portions are achingly sad. It adds a fine balance to the novel, and I spent just as much time smiling as I did crying (and quite often, I did both at the same time.) What a fantastic novel!!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-28 01:19:28.
(Language: English)
I found some of the storytelling techniques irritating and unnecessary--did we really need to see the writing in different colors illustrated, for instance?-- and it took me a while to figure out whose point of view we were getting in some of the flashbacks. I very nearly gave up on it altogether, early on. Despite that, however, this book was ultimately very emotionally affecting. The main character, 9-year-old Oscar Schell, is a weird, obsessive compulsive kid hunting all over New York for the lock that goes with a key left behind by his father, who was killed in the 9/11 attacks. His oddities and naivete provide a lot of humor in the book-- such as when he goes to a building in a poor neighborhood and wonders when the doorman is coming back, or when he describes the understanding of sex he has obtained from books and the internet.The sadness sneaks up on you, as you begin to see that his family is struggling with multiple generations of losses, not just one. This has some very irritating arty/clever touches to it that, to my mind, get in the way of telling a fairly simple story about an eccentric young boy and his family trying to come to grips with the death of his father in the 9/11 attacks. Despite that, it still managed to be very emotionally affecting in parts. The main character, Oskar Schell, is as memorable and humorous as he is desperately sad.
|
|
Michealia posted a review at 2009-08-06 08:48:59.
(Language: English)
I absolutely loved this book- and, Oscar Schell is quite possibly one of my favorite literary characters now. There are countless times while you are reading when you just want to grab him and give him a big hug. I love it when authors are able to make their characters so real in that sense- and Jonathan Safran Foer does and excellent job. It's also incredible just how much you actually care for Oscar and his story. You become genuinely curious of what is going to happen, what the significance of certain things is. I also liked how we witness various points of view, all telling their own stories, that come together in the end to paint a much larger picture. Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close really is an amazing book, and definitely one of those that you are sad to say you have finished.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-06 10:27:53.
(Language: English)
This is one of those books that are worth reading even though it isn't totally enjoyable. The kind that people call "masterful," and rightfully so. To have imagined and synthesized all this really is a huge accomplishment. Just remember when you start, that it's largely narrated by a 9yearold, which can get annoying after a while. Sometimes the same scenes are told out of the memories of different people, which is a little confusing, because they remember them differently. I guess what I'm saying is that it makes you work, and not just in that emotionally intense visceral experience sort of way (although it does that too). By the end I was truly gripped in the story, but there were moments of slogging to get to that place too. Sooooo I guess what I'm saying is that it's less fun, more significant. I wouldn't call it great, but yes, it makes you more literate, and perhaps even elucidates a truth or too. Also the stuff about the firebombing of Dresden was really interesting. I bet this book will be dissected by lit classes for years and years to come.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-08 03:35:55.
(Language: English)
The most tasteful coping with 9/11 since Springsteen's The Rising, Safran Foer decidedly refutes succumbing to a sophomore slump. Through a rotating narrative structure the stories of Oskar, a nine year-old protagonist as endearing and hilarious as Alex from the author’s first work, Everything Is Illuminated, and his family members are intertwined to paint a picture of what binds us humans together. The author’s take on 9/11 is more finely wrought than the flashbacks to the Dresden firebombing. What can he say that Vonnegut hasn’t already brilliantly covered? Also, the drawback to writing with multiple voices is that one can emerge as preferable, making passages told by other characters tedious by comparison. I’ve found Safran Foer’s central narrators to be the best part of both novels; why not try simplifying, filling a whole book with only one voice? Finally, why the title? Never referenced in the book, it has an obvious meaning, but this could have been stronger. Still, any book that is chock-full of humor and vitality and ways to cope with pain and storyline twists and cool pictures and postmodern attempts to distort the traditional literary format is just fine by me.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-09 04:56:35.
(Language: English)
Not as good as "Everything is Illuminated". The author tries to recreate the quirk-factor of his debut novel and doesn't really manage to pull it off. There are some really... beautiful moments in there, but overall it's a disappointing follow-up to EIL. I was particularly irritated by references to the bombing of Dresden and the events on pages 308-311 etc., where the conversation and the action of the plot moves in reverse - a technique taken directly from either Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" or from Martin Amis's "Time's Arrow", which, in any case, did a much better job of borrowing it from Vonnegut to begin with. In Safran-Foer's novel, it stands out like the token literary Holocaust device rather than any kind of innovation. I did give it four stars because some aspects of it were executed quite well. Oskar Schell is an amusing and likeable character and his interaction with his mother, father and grandmother provide the best parts of the novel. I felt that the flashbacks examining the war-time experiences of the grandparents was convoluted and unnecessary, and didn't add anything extraordinary to the story. It seemed more like Safran-Foer's failed attempt to conjure the excellence of his first book.
|
|
Linda posted a review at 2009-09-12 03:35:30.
(Language: English)
I have been thinking about my review of this book for the last few weeks, finding it hard to put my thoughts into words. I approached this book with a lot of trepidation; I live outside of NYC and unfortunately know too many people who lost their husband, wives, parents and children on September 11th. I have had this book sitting on my shelf for several years and finally got up the courage to read it. I am so very, very grateful that I did. Although the events of ‘The Worst Day’, as Oskar Schell the nine year old protagonist of the story calls September 11th, form the framework of this book, the story is more about how one accepts loss and learns to move on, albeit changed and damaged in some way. The book is about the horrors of war and terrorism and all the pain that is left for the survivors to experience and try to learn how to live again. It is a book that if filled with humor, sadness, tragedy and love. Oskar is an extremely bright child nine year old. His father died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. When Oskar finds a key among his father’s possession, mysteriously labeled Black, he decides to set out to find the lock the key will fit. His search sets him on a journey in which he encounters people from all different walks of life, each of which seems to have some small impact on his life. When Oskar finally learns the meaning of the key he also reveals a secret he has been living with since the death of his dad. Interlaced between Oskar’s search is the story of his grandparents, survivors of the bombing of Dresden during WWII. I think part of the beauty of this book is in the depiction of Oskar. He’s intelligent, but Foer doesn’t make him sound mature, he’s still a little boy and he can be rude, obnoxious, sweet, funny, cruel and at times remarkably perceptive; he’s very much like many little boys I’ve known. There were so many times I just wanted to reach out and hug this child. I found his relationship with his grandmother very touching and often charming. The story of his grandparent’s life plays out rather slowly and at times it seems a preposterous life, but it juxtaposes nicely with Oskar’s own attempt at making sense out of unbearable tragedy. In the end we are left with a feeling of hope that healing is possible. I love Foer’s use of language and his skill at evoking a reaction from you; he has the ability to mix humor and pathos, frequently in the same sentence. He also paints indelible pictures in your mind, not by the retelling of unfathomable events but by his characters reactions to these acts. There were times I had to stop reading because I could not see through my tears. This was an outstanding book one that will stay with me a long time. I am planning on reading Foer’s first book, Everything is Illuminated, very soon.
|
Share your views!
