Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a story about the odd, touching things we all do for love. Oskar Schell, a little boy who wants to study diseases and writes letters to all his favorite people, loves his cat Buckminster, Grandma, the color white, astronomy, and his father. When his father dies on 9/11, Oskar is left to make sense of a senseless tragedy and find out how and why his father died. His eight month journey takes him through every borough of New York City where he meets people of all different backgrounds, asking each what they know about the key in the vase in his father’s closet. With the help of his grandmother, Mr. Black upstairs, and the mysterious renter, Oskar discovers that life is never black and white or good and bad. Oskar learns that each individual has his own story and that these stories are what connect us all to each other. He also realizes just how important forgiveness can be. With a beautifully touching ending, Foer shows just how much people care for each other and are willing to help each other, even in the midst of a tragedy.

Reviewed by Carolyn, grade 11