Review of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jeremiah Croskrey

Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is not your every day read. Telling the story of a young boy’s journey to discover more about his recently deceased father, this book is part of the evolution of the novel as we know it. With the use of different voices, time periods, page layout, and images, this book defies the very idea of a classic novel. The story revolves around the main character, a very intelligent nine year old boy named Oskar, whose father recently died in the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. I know what some of you may be thinking right now, “Who would write a book about 9/11. It’s too soon!” Well don’t have a hissy-fit; this book isn’t about the events of that day. They are only referenced because they are an important day for Oskar, as well as all of us. The book is really about a boy’s journey to discover the purpose of a key that his father left to him. In Oskar’s journey, he comes across many people in New York City who come to shape his character throughout. In the end Oskar learns about his father, his family, and himself. Other mysteries ensue as Oskar’s grandparent’s characters are developed through letters and a brief history of the tragic events of Dresden in 1945.

The real excitement from this book does not come from just its characters. The story is told through many voices and many narrators, each with its own style and tone. Oskar’s story is very comedic and really makes you love his character. His journey brings you up and down as he learns truths and uncovers more questions about the meaning of being alive. His grandmother tells her story through letters she sent to Oskar. Though very inappropriate sometimes, she is a very honest and leave no details of her story out. Oskar’s grandfather also tells his story through letters to his son, Oskar’s father. His own story sometimes conflicts with Grandma’s leading us to wonder who the more reliable narrator is. He too writes in a much more serious tone than when Oskar tells his story. Foer keeps these two characters mysterious by revealing their story in reverse.

Foer also challenges the idea of the novel by using images throughout his novel. The images represent pictures taken by Oskar, such as the hands of his grandpa, and the very thoughts Oskar has in his head. These images bring the novel out of the pages and into a more visual field. We get to see what Oskar sees, instead of having to imagine them. The novel ends with a flip book of a man who had jumped out of one of the World Trade Center buildings, only instead of seeing him fall, the images are reversed, seeing him rising up into the air, and as Oskar says “If I’d had more pictures, he would’ve flown through the window, back into the building and the smoke would’ve poured into the hole that the plane was about to come out of.”

Many critics dislike this book for the very reasons I enjoy it. It is more than just a novel. It is more of an experience in reading. The use of multiple voices and images bring the novel from a simple story into a complex series of highs and lows. The visuals bring the story out of the page and give us more to “hold” as they would say. I recommend this novel to adults who can handle an evolution in writing. Many think pictures and strange formatting as an amateur way to add substance to the novel. This book didn’t need the pictures to add shock value; the pictures bring the book out of the page and into a world we can really see.