by Safran Foer
First published in Great Britain in 2005.
I have read this book many times and each time I cry. I should say here that I am a bit of a crier anyway, but this one gives me a lump in my throat at different parts every time I read it, which to me shows how good the story is.
Oskar is a nine year old boy who lives in New York with his Mum. The book blurb tells us that Oskar's dad died in 9/11. This is only explicitly said towards the end of the book, but the way in which Oskar drops odd thoughts about the attack into his speech is more heart wrenching than if it were said outright, for example 'if you're on the ninety-fifth floor, and a plane hits below you, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone could be safe'. Oskar finds a key in a vase in his Dad's room, and sets out to find what it opens. He only has an envelope with 'Black' written on it to help him and so decides to go and meet everyone called Black in New York in the hope they knew his Dad or about the key.
Running parallel to Oskar's story is a letter which his grandmother wrote to him. It is her life story, and tells about her childhood and meeting Oskar's grandfather. The first time I read this book I felt that the grandmother's story was a bit in the way of Oskar's but having re-read it, I feel that it gives an insight into an otherwise quiet character. The two stories complement each other.
Oskar is a great character. He is bold, confident and clever. He confronts people in a very straightforward way. At the same time, he knows what he is afraid of and seems to have lost some childhood innocence from losing his Dad. He clearly struggles with trying to protect his Mum, who at the same time is trying to keep her sadness from Oskar.
Oskar's Mum does not seem to play a large role for most of the book. Oskar mainly focuses on her new friendship with a man he doesn't like, and doesn't tell her anything about his mission with the key. She seems quite cold, simply because we only see her from Oskar's perspective, and it is only towards the end of the book that Oskar, and we, find out that she has actually been helping him all along.
The grandmother is a sweet person. She lives across the street from Oskar and they talk via walkie talkies. She is everyone's idea of a grandmother and cares deeply about Oskar. Her life story is interesting as her childhood was very different to Oskar's, and yet it is easy to relate to from the feelings she writes about. Her story is sad, and she often tells Oskar not to love anyone as much as she has, as it is painful.
This could just be a really sad book, and it is in obvious ways. However, the people Oskar meets all become part of his story and bring a happiness to it. They let him into their lives without asking too many questions, and try to help him as much as they can. The simple acts of kindness lift the book out of constant sadness.
One of my favourite chapters is The Sixth Borough. Oskar's Dad is telling him a bedtime story about the (imaginary) sixth borough of New York. It is a great little story, and well placed in the book to give readers a happy picture of Oskar remembering time with his father.
A line which stuck with me the most from this book is 'You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness'. To me, this sums the book up in a few words and conveys Oskar's journey of trying to protect his Mum and himself from feeling too sad about his Dad. Through meeting all the people on his mission he learns that everyone has sadness, but that if you block yourself from feeling sadness, you also block yourself from feeling happiness.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is an excellent book. It takes a bit of time to get into, because of the way it is written, but once you figure out which parts are who, it will stay with you for a long time. I look forward to reading this one again and seeing it in another, new way.
