Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Review and Quotes
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, written by Jonathan Safran Foer, is a powerful book written in 2005.
The summary on the back of the books read: "Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr.
He is nine years old.
And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York.
" Oskar found a key that belonged to his father.
His father died in the World Trace Center on 9/11.
So Oskar sets out on a mission to find the lock that fits the key.
He travels all over New York City, by himself.
I would never allow my 9 year old to do this, but I think his mother was too busy and grieving too much to even notice.
Plus, Oskar is a pretty smart kid and knows how to avoid getting caught or getting into trouble.
During his travels he meets some pretty incredible characters.
Some of them become his friends.
Others he just watches from afar and creates his own story about them.
His adventure leads him right back to his father's grave, where he decides to dig up his father's empty coffin.
I must say that when my friend gave me this book to read I had never heard of it and had no idea what to expect.
I immediately fell in love with Oskar, the main character who is 9 years old.
He was definitely a unique kid and I felt so sorry for him as he grieved his father's death in his own way.
It reminded me of that terrible day of 9/11 and all of the confusion, grief and chaos the Oskar experiences in this book remind me of the same feelings I went through as I saw the horrors of what happened then.
I couldn't imagine being a 9 year old child and losing my father in such a horrible way.
I really like Foer's unique writing and the story kept my attention page after page.
If you have a book club, I would recommend this book.
It will bring up some interesting conversation and give you a sense of what happens to those the experieced 9/11 first hand.
It will change your life.
Here are some of my favorite quotes: "So many people enter and leave your life! Hundreds of thousands of people! You have to keep the door open so they can come in! But it also means you have to let them go!" (p.
153) "Humans are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips.
So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are.
" (p.
99) "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.
" (p.
113) This book is considered well-written, witty, emotional and worth reading.
The summary on the back of the books read: "Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr.
He is nine years old.
And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York.
" Oskar found a key that belonged to his father.
His father died in the World Trace Center on 9/11.
So Oskar sets out on a mission to find the lock that fits the key.
He travels all over New York City, by himself.
I would never allow my 9 year old to do this, but I think his mother was too busy and grieving too much to even notice.
Plus, Oskar is a pretty smart kid and knows how to avoid getting caught or getting into trouble.
During his travels he meets some pretty incredible characters.
Some of them become his friends.
Others he just watches from afar and creates his own story about them.
His adventure leads him right back to his father's grave, where he decides to dig up his father's empty coffin.
I must say that when my friend gave me this book to read I had never heard of it and had no idea what to expect.
I immediately fell in love with Oskar, the main character who is 9 years old.
He was definitely a unique kid and I felt so sorry for him as he grieved his father's death in his own way.
It reminded me of that terrible day of 9/11 and all of the confusion, grief and chaos the Oskar experiences in this book remind me of the same feelings I went through as I saw the horrors of what happened then.
I couldn't imagine being a 9 year old child and losing my father in such a horrible way.
I really like Foer's unique writing and the story kept my attention page after page.
If you have a book club, I would recommend this book.
It will bring up some interesting conversation and give you a sense of what happens to those the experieced 9/11 first hand.
It will change your life.
Here are some of my favorite quotes: "So many people enter and leave your life! Hundreds of thousands of people! You have to keep the door open so they can come in! But it also means you have to let them go!" (p.
153) "Humans are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips.
So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are.
" (p.
99) "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.
" (p.
113) This book is considered well-written, witty, emotional and worth reading.
