Book Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Many recent novels deal with how the world has changed since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and how our perception of the world has changed because of it. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer deals with its direct effect on one family. The novel is told by 9-year-old Oskar Schell, who discovers a key that belonged to his father, who dies in the World Trade Center. Throughout the book, he searches all of New York City for information about the key to unlock mysteries of his father's death. The novel is interspersed with a series of letters written by Oskar's grandfather to Oskar's father, as well as letters written by Oskar's grandmother to Oskar himself. Together, it tells the history of this family, and the pain and suffering caused by the loss of their loved one. The way Foer portrays the emptiness his characters endure is what makes this book a must-read. With pictures and white space, every image and sentence connects the reader deeper to the emotions that come with loss. This story gets in your face, makes you think about it, and, most importantly, burrows its way close to your heart.