Lovely Little Shelf

The Book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Story: Oskar is this kind of “different” kid, living in New York during 9/11.  His father is killed in the attacks and he and his mother are both just destroyed.

While looking through his father’s stuff one day, he finds a mysterious envelope with a key inside.  On the outside of the envelope, the word “Black” is written.  In a quest to find out what the key was for, Oskar gets the phonebook and starts visiting every Black in New  York City.  This is a journey through the city and through the lives of all of these people effected by 9/11

What I Thought: Wow.  It is rare that I am just engulfed with a book.  This was like when you stand in the shallow waves on the beach and your feet sink deeper and deeper in and it feels all slimy and soft and evasive.

I felt like it started off and I was like, “Who is this kid and why is he so weird,” but as it went on I thought that all of his little weird bits were endearing and wonderful.

As the plot picked up and we met all these other people and got into their lives, I was just kind of blown away.  Everyone else could have just become these accessory characters, but they were written fully and boldly and every single story that Oskar uncovered just seemed like a puzzle piece.  As more and more pieces came together I realized that I was reading something truly unique.

This is not  just a book.  It is straight up art.

The prose, the pictures, the ideas…. amazing.  It felt like I was experiencing the book instead of just reading it.

I know that it’s been 10 years, but sometimes those 9/11 feelings just seem so fresh and raw and awful… and I wasn’t even in NYC.  As the characters talked about where they were and what they were doing, I couldn’t help but going back in my head to where I was and what I was doing and just that fear and confusion that surrounded all of 9/11.  Jonathan Safran Foer’s ability to explore that and the emotions surrounding it with out becoming preachy, patriotic or overly emotional was absolutely stunning.  It is just all so honest.

I don’t know how to talk about this without gushing, to be honest.  Mixed in with Oskar’s storyline is the story of his paternal grandparents and how they met and fell in love and… well… I don’t want to ruin it for you.  These parts kind of made me weak in the knees.  They reminded me a lot of Everything is Illuminated and the past storyline there.  It’s almost magical realism, but not really.  It really is just Jonathan Safran Foer’s own little thing and I pretty much love it. It kind of hypnotizes me.  Really, incredibly good stuff.

This will make you feel hopeful and mournful and loving and annoyed and human and… well… it will make you feel. Just read it.

Conclusion: Read this. Today if possible.