Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book killed me with its sweetness. It was so happy, so sad, and so insightful at the same time. Everything seemed to make sense even though it did not. The words reached my soul and my heart and made me yearn to hug Oskar whenever he felt sad. His relationship with his mother made my heart throb with pain and love, it was so sweet and at the same time so unfair.

Oskar is an inquisitive child. Imaginative, inventive, intelligent. I can see so much of me in him, and it made me feel not alone. He is quirky and funny, very funny. I loved the characters, they love Oskar so much and most importantly, they tolerate him and try to understand him.

The book touches important and delicate aspects of life, like terrorism, love, death, and friendship. Oskar's journey was amazing, I don't think I would have traveled so much on foot from borough to borough. He is an amazing kid.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that this book was life changing. It was a very interesting and original read, and I'm so happy I read it, but I do not consider it life changing at all.

What I also liked about this book was the element of design through the letters and paragraphs. When you writer felt angry, the words were written close and tight. The words and paragraphs seem to come alive as well. The photographs were kind of scary, especially photographs of door knobs, which for some reason are scary to me.

I think I read this book in the wrong time. I was very depressed (not clinically) when I was reading this book, and it kinda gave me strength to continue reading because there was nothing else I wanted to do. I guess this book helped me pass my time doing something as opposed to just sit and stare.

I would recommend this book because Oskar will leave an imprint of his literary existence in your heart.

PS. I saw the ad for the movie and got mad. Just a few glimpses at the movie was enough for me to judge that it is not going to be as in the book, but more romanticized.

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