Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Published April 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: I purchased both the paperback and audio copies of this book
Narrated by: Jeff Woodman, Richard Ferrone, Barbara Caruso

Publisher's Summary:
Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

An inspired innocent, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating, and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to Harlem on his search. Along the way he is always dreaming up inventions to keep those he loves safe from harm. What about a birdseed shirt to let you fly away? What if you could actually hear everyone's heartbeat? His goal is hopeful, but the past speaks a loud warning in stories of those who've lost loved ones before. As Oskar roams New York, he encounters a motley assortment of humanity who are all survivors in their own way. He befriends a 103-year-old war reporter, a tour guide who never leaves the Empire State Building, and lovers enraptured or scorned. Ultimately, Oskar ends his journey where it began, at his father's grave. But now he is accompanied by the silent stranger who has been renting the spare room of his grandmother's apartment. They are there to dig up his father's empty coffin.

My Thoughts: 
I have had my paperback copy of this book since I saw the movie adaptation, starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, which I loved. And which made me cry several times. So why in the world did I think listening to the book while I drove was a good idea? It wasn't; not only did I tear up more than once, I was often so engrossed as to be something of a hazard on the roads.


Thanks to Trish (Love, Laughter, and A Touch of Insanity - yeah, her again!), I made this book a read/listen combination. She was so right to encourage me to pick the book. While the narrators did a extremely good job and book is incredibly visual and should not be missed. Ha! You see what I did there? It's what Foer does throughout the book - not overkill but enough that your ear really starts to pick it up when listening to it.

In the movie, Oskar's storyline takes center stage. His grandparents are involved but their own stories are largely left out. In the book, Foer uses all three as first-person narrators with Oskar's grandparents telling their stories through letters (his grandmother through letters she writes to Oskar, his grandfather to Oskar's dad, the son he never met). All three are buried under their own grief - Oskar as he tries to come to terms with the death of his father and his grandparents by the loss of their son but also by the loss of their families during the bombing of Dresden during World War II.

The New York Times reviewer was particularly impressed with this book, calling it "precious and forced" and, essentially, derivative. Since I'm not familiar with most of the books that reviewer referenced, I don't get that from the book. And while I sometimes wondered if I even understood what the heck Foer was trying to say, I was willing to attribute it to the mental state of the characters. I was quite taken with the the unusual additions to the book and very fond of Oskar (although I'm certain a real version of him would wear thin on me in no time).  I loved the conversations between the characters, as I did much of the writing, and this is a book that I will keep on my shelves. And you know how rarely I do that!

15 comments:

  1. Wonderful! Yep, this book is one that is an experience in itself more than just reading. I would have loved to do audio/print combo and I am glad I did have the book. I just am not sure how listening would work and missing out on the visual inserts? I still need to see the movie. It gets suggested often and then voted down. :( It will be one I have to watch by myself but again, when can/do we schedule tear-jerkers like this?

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    1. I think having seen the movie before helped me love this one even though there were a far number of changes made. Curiously, that didn't ruin the book for me as it so often does.

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  2. Lisa, I remember reading this book when it first came out and wondering what all the fuss was about. I'd read Foer's first book and LOVED it, so I was excited about this one. For some reason, I just did not like the story and found myself wondering why everyone loved it so much. I'm tempted to read it again, just to see if maybe it was my mood that ruined the book for me and not the book itself. I'm glad you seemed to enjoy it so much. Sounds like it was quite a good read for you.

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    1. The movie made me cry so much and I really pulled the pieces that impacted me that way out of the read, too. Although I will say that I liked Oscar less in the book than I did in the movie and I thought there was too much of the grandparents' story in the book.

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  3. I listened to this one only and missed the visual elements of it. While I found it an impressive novel, I do think the lack of a full immersion in the story weakened its impact on me. I am curious about the movie. I wonder if it is on Netflix...

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    1. I think had the grandparents piece been played down and their story been more like it was in the movie, the book would have been helped. Although I did love that old man that lived upstairs!

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  4. I haven't read the book or seen the movie, but if this is a keeper for you, I'll have to keep it in mind.

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    1. As interesting as I found the book, it does lag in some places and there were times I really was glad I had the book so I could figure out what I could skim over.

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  5. This is one I wanted to read right after I read Everything is Illuminated, but it was still too close to 9/11 for comfort's sake. I haven't managed to get to it yet, but I have a copy waiting on my shelf for when I do decide to read it. It sounds like I should move it up on my TBR pile. It sounds like a book I would really like. You know how much I love to cry when I read. :-)

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    1. The 9/11 piece seemed curiously less potent for me in the book, for the most part, than it did in the movie. Although there are still some times that it will break your heart so be warned.

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  6. I really enjoyed the book. It was all just so what I needed at the time. I loved it. The movie wasn't nearly as moving but still good. Great review.

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    1. Sometimes it's all about timing, isn't it? I wish I were better about putting books down and picking them up again later. Books that I end up not liking, I'm always wondering if I'd like better in a different frame of mind.

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  7. I thought this a really good book too--I watched the movie first too, but found the book equally powerful and fresh in a very non-derivative way! Glad you experienced the visual aspects of the book as well as listened to it.

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    1. I almost feel like they should say at the beginning of the audio "at some point, pick up this book - you are missing something without it" even though the audio was very good.

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  8. Seeing those pictures give me the chills a bit...everytime I see someone mention listening to this one I want to cry NO NO NO!!! You're doing it wrong! ;)

    Hmmm--derivative of what?! Anyway, glad you liked it. I loved Oskar as well...though know what you mean about wearing you thin.

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