"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel"

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel"
by Jonathan Safran Foer
2006
368 pages



Anyone who has read "Everything Is Illuminated," Foer's debut novel, knows to expect amazing work from this young author. He has a style all his own and truly is one of the most unique writers of the 21st century. Through his innovative work, Foer has redefined how we read and relate to novels.

"Extremely Loud" is about a precocious nine-year-old boy named Oskar whose father died in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11. Soon following that tragic day, Oskar discovers a key in his dad's room inside an envelope with the word "Black" written on it. He then makes it his mission to find out what the key belongs to and if it is somehow connected to his dad's death. Along the way, Oskar makes new friends and discovers unrevealed family secrets.

Although this book really is centered around Oskar, the parts I enjoyed most were letters scattered throughout the book titled "Why I'm Not Where You Are" addressed "To my unborn child" from a mysterious man whose identity and reason for writing these letters is later revealed. It is obvious immediately that this man has experienced great pain in his life, which causes him to lose his ability to speak. At one point, he writes, "It's the tragedy of loving, you can't love anything more than something you miss."

"Extremely Loud" is filled with photos from Oskar's book of pictures that he calls "Stuff that Happened to Me." This makes for a different kind of reading experience. I am not used to reading serious books with large pictures taking up pages and pages so this was a rather novel yet fun idea for me.

Overall, "Extremely Loud" was a very good book, but not an equal to the brilliance of "Everything is Illuminated" in my opinion. I remember finishing "Everything" completely taken aback by its beauty and simple poignancy. After finishing "Extremely Loud" though, I was left feeling somewhat disappointed. It is hard for me to pinpoint exactly why this is as hard as I have tried. I am going to have to read "Everything" again to really figure out the difference between these books.

On another note, the similarity I found between Foer's two works was his excellent use of developing a believable backstory. The characters I found the most intriguing were not the "main" characters but those whose lives shaped the outcome of the protagonists. It was these sections of the novels that I looked forward to the most.

Now, I'm curious to hear the opinions of people who've read both of these books. Which is your favorite- "Everything is Illuminated" or "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"? Let me know!