It was a heartwrenching story of Oskar who loses his father as one of the victims of Sept 11th - He tries to make sense of his world that is broken and how it relates (or doesn't) while meeting people along for his quest to find the answer to the longing question of what this key represents. Loved how the characters developed and the storyline interwove between the characters - Recommend for a comtemporary read.

September 11th and the Holocaust are two subjects that are easy use if you are an author looking to add emotional weight to your novel, but are difficult to use well. Nobody proves this better than Jonathan Safran Foer in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The novel follows Oskar, a nine-year-old Manhattan boy (I'm basing my assessment that he is nine years old solely on the book jacket; I don't recall his age ever once being mentioned in the story, although he is allowed to wander the streets of New York by himself at all hours of the day and night without anyone raising a fuss, which seems odd for a nine-year-old) who lost his father in the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. Oskar finds among his father's things a small key and the word 'Black' scribbled on a paper. From this he deduces that the key belongs to someone named Black and that he must find that person, for surely they will have vital information about his late father, and--for reasons never explained--he decides that he will approach ever person in New York City with the last name Black alphabetically. This last point seems to be a plot device designed solely to keep the story from being told in a thirty page short story instead of a full-length novel. The novel is full of convoluted storylines (including a B-story about Oskar's grandfather and his experience during WWII) that never really make the emotional statements the author seems to intend, and are often downright precious (not in a good way). This novel is entirely too amused with itself, too self-congratulatory of its own cleverness instead of concerning itself with the intelligence of the reader. I was very relieved that the last dozen or so pages are just photos because it meant I was done with this book that much sooner. http://cozylittlebookjournal.blogspot.com/2012/01/extremely-loud-incredibly-close-by.html

This book is brilliantly written. I loved the writing style, imagery and plot. Perhaps the most complete book that I have read in years!

The protagonist of this story is this little boy that obviously has major issues, and yes I understand it’s because he has lost his father, but the kid has no morals and no common sense which would be fine, but it bothers me because the writer tries to make the kid seem like he’s really intelligent but really he’s just a child that needs to stick with his therapy. His mother either doesn’t know how to discipline him or just doesn’t care. The child is very irritating through-out the novel. The other annoying aspect of this story is the grandmother and the “older renter” that ends up being her deranged husband that can but doesn’t speak. He writes out how he feels everywhere and anywhere and for some reason this woman puts up with it. Urg. I think this book was only liked because the incident of 9/11 was a focus point. I think if 9/11 wasn’t apart of this book, a lot of people would think it was incredibly lame. This book was not for me.

Hooboy, does Jonathan Safran Foer write with STYLE. I loved the way this book was written. So very different, so very refreshing. And yet the story itself was never lost in the stylings of the story-telling. Beautifully drawn characters, beautifully told tale. Readers cannot helped but be moved by Oskar and his unique view on the world and his adventures, and the people he loves.

It was a very touching story. originally written, and the characters were fascinating. Loved how everyhting is intertwined.

In my eyes, this is the illustrious perfect book. It makes me both cackle and sob, combining sorrow with biting wit and a very effective stream of consciousness. Foer really is a genius writer both stylistically and thematically.

Oskar is a smart nine year old kid that likes to invent things, asks a lot of questions, and knows a lot of useless facts. He lives with his mom and across the street from his grandmother. Oskar's father died in the World Trade Centre during 9/11, which has made Oskar have "heavy boots" and he goes to therapy to try to talk through his emotions. When Oskar finds a key in a vase in his dad's closet, he sets out on a mission to find out what lock this key opens to. This takes him on an adventure where he meets and learns the stories of many others. While we learn about Oskar's adventure, we also find out more about his grandfather and his grandmother. Originally coming from Germany, Oskar's grandparents survived an air raid and moved to New York. Oskar's grandfather was originally in love his his grandmother's sister but she died in the air raid, which is when the grandfather finds that he can no longer speak. Their relationship adds a whole other dimension to the book. Oskar's innocence and intellect gives the reader a refreshing view. It sort of reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. He's far smarter than any 9 year old I've ever met, but it's still plausible. However, I don't really understand why his mother would let him wander around New York alone, regardless of whether she knew or not. That being said, this story was touching and interesting.

Extremely Lound and Incredibly close is a wonderfully written book that explores the fractured mind of a young boy who lost his father in the 9-11 attacks. it's disjointed pace helps the reader understand the complexity of the situation that Oskar is involved in. The interspersed photos and letters from his grandparents past create a very wonderful pace and leave you wanting more. This book is excellent for book clubs or classrooms as it lends itself to discussion very easily. Safran Foer is an excellent writer with a brilliant future ahead of himself.

I was so touched that I cried reading this book. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is a novel about September 11. From the angle of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, we followed his quest to find the lock that matches a mysterious key belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Superb storytelling and beautiful plot. Impressive. A book that enriches my life.