Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Foer, Jonathan SafranFollowing his father's death in 9/11, Oskar Schell, a precocious nine year old, sets out to find the matching lock for a key he believes belonged to his father. His search, taking him across New York, becomes a journey through his grief. Entwined with this quest is the unlocking of the story of Oskar's grandparents, survivors of the Dresden firebombing in WWII. A poignant examination of loss, grief and adjustment. [Small font]
Comments from Groups
All the group finished and enjoyed this book. There were so many facets of the story to talk about and not everyone got the same meaning from it. Christchurch 229Some struggled to read or finish the book. 4 gave it 10/10. They found it intricate, detailed and heart breaking at so many levels. Masterton 005Some of us enjoyed it. Found it strange to begin with, but persevered and discovered that the story came together and were pleased they had kept on keeping on. Masterton 010Loved it. Some found the references to 9/11 and the Dresden bombing too harrowing, but overall everyone enjoyed it.Mixed reviews from our group. On the whole we thought the book was well written and thought provoking and inciteful into the grieving process.Our group found this a challenging book and only 4 of us finished reading it. However those who did persevere found it a deeply moving and special story of love and loss. Auckland 271
Pages
326
326
Year
2006
2006
Reviews
15-02-2021
We loved Oskar's story and insight into his world. Found the grandparents' story not as enjoyable a component - lots of mystery there. Quirky, original, well-written. Got to see the movie!
15-02-2021
Moderately enjoyed by most.
15-02-2021
A beautiful, moving story. Very deep and dense but not dark.
15-02-2021
Lively discussion. Half the group "loved it" and the rest "loathed it", so very polarised opinions. Plenty to talk about - very complex with lots of detail to remember. Wonderful descriptions of immigrant life in New York and the trauma of 9/11.
12-02-2021
A most unusual book. It had a 50-50% in terms of those who liked it.
12-02-2021
This book generated the most discussion of any book this year, with its many layers of plot, meaning, symbolism and style. Our group described it as interesting, quirky but challenging read.
12-02-2021
Everyone struggled with this book - some didn't finish it, but those who did and got inside Oskar's head, learnt a lot!
12-02-2021
Some of our group took a while to get into this book and found it a bit "cutesy", but we all agreed by the time we finished reading that the main characters were delightful, and were written in a way that made us really care about them. An interesting - in both form and content - exploration of communication and relationships of all kinds.
09-11-2018
Most of our members didn't finish it as storyline long winded and boring.