Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer

What if there was a drain beneath every pillow in New York that connected to a special reservoir and whenever people cried themselves to sleep, their tears would flow there?  Every morning, the weatherman could give a report on whether the water level in the Reservoir of Tears had gone up or down.  Or what if you could have a birdseed shirt so that you could make a quick escape even though humans don’t have their own wings?  Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an imaginative, inventive child who is coping with the loss of his father in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.  When he finds a key hidden in his father’s closet, labeled only ”Black,” he sets out on a journey through the five boroughs of New York to find the lock that fits the key and, in the process, to find a way to deal with the loss not only of his father but of his innocence.

 I read plenty of books that I find enjoyable, but only a few that I find unforgettable.  This book, for me, is unforgettable.  When I think about other books that have had a similar impact on me in the last few years, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and Life of Pi by Yann Martel come to mind.  Maybe there is something about the honesty and naiveté in the way a child or teen approaches the horrors of the world that appeals to me.  I laughed out loud at Oscar’s wild inventions sometimes, only to find myself moved to tears a paragraph later by his attempts to create a world where tragedy could be kept at bay.  And as the mother of a nine-year-old son, I can vouch for the fact that Oskar, genius or not, definitely has the sense of humor of a typical young boy!

This book is certainly unusual, which may make it difficult for some to read.  Photographs, letters, and notes written by Oscar’s grandparents are found throughout the text, and the story ends with a flip-the-pages device.  I enjoyed the extra texture this added to the story, but I can see how the unique style might also be distracting. While this might not be a book that will appeal to everyone, I feel safe in saying that, if you read it,  it’s a book you’ll never forget.

Molly – York                                    ISBN   0618329706