30B430 Book 20: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

I have had Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel on my list of books to read for quite some time. So I was very excited when our book club decided to read it next. Even better, my mom had two copies of the book, which meant I didn't have to buy my own copy.

It took me a few attempts to actually start and get into the book. The book rotates between a few different narrators, the main one being Oskar, a nine year-old boy, whose father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. He is trying to solve the mystery of a key that he thinks his father left for him as a puzzle before he died. As he runs around the city, he meets a number of different characters, who each share a small piece of their own story with the young boy.

Jonathan Safran Foer does a great job of voicing the eccentric nine year-old's stream of consciousness, which is entertaining, but challenging to stick through. Sometimes I found myself laughing out loud at the funny things he says, like "Succotash my Balzac, dipshiitake." Other times, I was overwhelmed by sadness. Parts of the book are truly heartbreaking. It isn't wholly a sad book, it is a sweet story with very sad parts.

If you haven't read it yet, it is definitely worth checking out. Or you could always watch the movie. I would have to imagine that it is pretty fantastic with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. I think I will plan to do that next. But first, time to talk about the book at book club tonight!