Review of Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a unique and cleverly written novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. The main character of this novel is Oskar, a nine year old whose father died a year previously in the World Trade Center during the terrorist attack of 9.11. Since his death, Oskar has been having difficulty finding closure, feeling that he is the only one suffering. However, Oskar comes across a key in his father’s closet and quickly becomes obsessed in discovering the lock it belongs to, hoping it will help him find some kind of comfort.

As the reader goes on this journey with Oskar in search of the mysterious lock, they will discover various characters and tales that are either filled with sadness or hope, and sometimes both. Thus Foer’s novel is not the typical ‘happily ever after’ tale, but faces the reality that many try to avoid. Nevertheless, it is a very touching story that may appeal to a wide range of audience; but its form, presentation, and content may not necessarily be to everyone’s taste.

As one progresses through Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the reader will discover that the form of writing will change periodically. Foer has cleverly done this to illustrate the voice and personality of the various characters who are telling their story within the novel. Ordinarily, an author will choose one style of writing throughout their novel for consistency, but Foer goes against all norms of writing and in result he presents a captivating way to exemplify his characters.

There are three essential people who are telling their story—Oksar, Grandma, and Grandpa. As the chapters switch from character to character, Foer’s writing style will also change to fit the personality of his characters. For instance, Oskar’s chapters are narrations that contain run-on sentences. Foer does this to illustrate that this young intelligent boy has a lot on his mind, and thus feels that he must let it all out at once before it escapes. In contrast, the grandmother’s chapters are letters to Oskar in which she uses simple, basic sentences as if she is carefully selecting her words before writing.

The most peculiar and unique writing is the grandfather’s, whose chapters are also letters but to his son. His writing is in a block format, not containing any paragraphs. This gives the impression that he, like Oskar, is trying to share and express everything in his mind. However, there are some areas in which he will write a small, simple sentence on a blank page. Years previously the grandfather decided to stop talking because of the immense sorrow he was suffering from, and therefore these almost blank pages are when the grandfather is communicating with others. Thus Foer uses the block pages to illustrate that the Grandfather has a lot on his mind, but is unwilling or scared to share his pain and thoughts with others (as is demonstrated with the almost blank pages).

Besides the uniqueness of how he illustrates the characters’ personalities through the various writing styles, Foer also presents an assortment of images throughout the novel—some very disturbing. These images are pictures that Oskar has either taken or found for his scrap-book called Stuff That Happened to Me. These images are beneficial to the novel in helping the readers to see with more clarity what Oskar sees, and helping them to feel and comprehend Oskar’s emotions.

Some writers or critics do not appreciate Foer’s usage of images and writing style because they feel it is all too distracting. They believe that this novel would make some people very frustrated, especially those who prefer the traditional ways of writing in which there is a set form and order throughout the book. Mark Oppenheimer, a critic for the Jewish Journal, stated that “Foer's writing is nearly as magical as his admirers say. But magic is dangerous when not properly controlled.” However, Foer’s unique writing style and presentation is what makes this novel so stimulating. While reading this story, you never know what to expect on the next page.

This novel is open to a variety of readers, but the content is written for a mature audience, even though the main character is just a nine year old boy. A few stories within contain some explicit sexual content, making it impossible to recommend to a younger audience. The novel also contains graphic word imagery of the Dresden bombing and a disturbing image of a man falling from the World Trade Center during the 9.11 terrorist attack. These images and content may be too disturbing for some individuals.

The novel, however, focuses not upon these disturbing things, but upon finding closure, and forgiveness. This novel takes the reader on a wonderful journey with the characters who are trying to find answers to their suffering. Foer’s writing style and pictures work perfectly in pulling this story together. While reading, one should not waste their time in trying to pull apart the writing and presentation of the novel, but should instead enjoy Foer’s touching tale about hope, forgiveness, and the importance of saying “I love you.”