Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer

First published in 2005, this one received hugely mixed reviews. While some declared it a masterpiece others were left feeling downright confused. Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I grabbed myself a copy and delved right in.

The book follows Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old boy who has lost his father in 9/11. We learn early on that his dad was forever entertaining Oskar with treasure hunts or mystery challenges and the like. After discovering a key in a vase that belonged to his father, Oskar takes to the five boroughs of New York on a quest to solve one last mystery. Along the way he meets a host of odd characters and we gain snapshots of their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The risk in setting 9/11 as the context for the plot was that the story could ultimately end up lost among a heap of many others trying to do the same thing. Foer succeeds however in doing something a little bit different. Foer’s tackles the subject matter from the perspective of a child. Oskar is a precocious and funny little boy, a self-proclaimed inventor, astronomer and all round Stephen Hawking fanatic. Foer uses this characterisation to great effect, juxtaposing the innocence and astuteness of the child with the messiness and complexity of the adult lives he encounters.  Moreover Foer taps into the voices of ordinary people; a mother unable to grieve, a son confused, and a grandmother trying to hold it all together. The result is a story of very real people coping and dealing with the aftermath of events.

There was admittedly an odd accompaniment to the story. A counter narrative runs off alongside the main plot, which focuses on the past of Oskar’s grandfather. I presume this is the cause of much of the confusion the book is sometimes criticised for, as this wasn’t always a straightforward meander to follow.  While not vital to the plot, it did add a human depth to the story, a history and testimony to time moving on.

I will warn as well that the ending is not conventionally happy, but then nor is it particularly sad. While Oskar manages to solve the mystery, the end discovery is pretty mundane. The wonder of it is not in the detail though, but in the journey Oskar and his family have made in dealing with and accepting their personal loss. What we ultimately receive is a poignant reminder that life continues all around us, even in the aftermath of chaos.

While on the face of it this one doesn’t sound like the jolliest of reads, Foer gets the balance just right. With an element of mystery and the enthusiasm of Oskar the story is kept successfully moving and in the end we are left satisfied.

 I haven’t yet gotten around to watching the film version (TRAILER) but I shall let you know what I make of this as soon as I do! Do let me know how it’s compared if you’ve already watched it!