Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran FoerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Let me start off by saying, I read this book during a very busy time, so I was a bit distracted--it would not surprise me at all if my interpretation is way off! I liked this book for having a nine year old narrator, who is definitely on the Autism Spectrum. Some readers may not appreciate his eccentricities. I love that he said, "Jose" instead of "No way." He also thought, "What the?" quite a bit which I find adorable. He gives himself bruises when he is stressed, which I am not so comfortable with but it adds to the overall quirkiness. The book revolves around this main character, Oskar's search for a lock. A lock, that matches a key he found in a blue vase in his father's closet. In an attempted to come to terms with his fathers death (on 9/11/01), he makes it his mission to find out the story behind this key. The key was in an envelope labeled, "Black." Oskar initiates a covert mission to meet all of the Blacks in NYC to inquire about his dad and the lock. As expected, he meets some characters while on this charming adventure.
There is a parallel plot with Oskar's mom and grandma that is not nearly as interesting or clear. At times I wasn't sure who was narrating the past. I'm not sure if the confusion was intentional or just my ignorance. There were photographs thrown in and sometimes the connection was not clear. Also, reading it on the e-reader made me wonder if I was missing part of the picture. These irregularities aside, the book is charming and (should have been) a quick read.
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You know, I've avoided reading this book because just seeing the movie trailers made me so sad. Maybe reading it won't be as likely to make me cry? What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHi Dianne! I didn't think the book was sad at all, definitely touching. I felt like it focused more on the boy's quirkiness and adventure than the father's death. I'll post again after I see the movie!
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