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apieceofwatermelon:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

It’s better to lose than never to have had.
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (via mckenzielerwin)

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There were things I wanted to tell him. But I knew they would hurt him. So I buried them, and let them hurt me.
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (via fuckyeah-literature)

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Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living.
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (via blua)

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anythingblows:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Before we start, I’m going to be completely honest. I have been in a reading slump for about two months now and it’s been absolutely horrible. I have all these books waiting to be read but no desire to read them and that doesn’t happen very often with me.

The book that brought me out if that slump, was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This is a novel that I have to read for my English course at University. Now, normally when I’m told that I have to read something, I immediately don’t want to read it. Even if it’s something I’d normally be interested in, I just can’t bring myself to get excited about it. There’s nothing worse than a book that feels like a chore. There’s nothing worse than anything feeling like a chore, for that matter but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was not one of those novels. From start to finish, I had that itch. You know the one - when you put down a book only to instantly want to pick it up again. You find yourself craving to learn more about the characters, wanting to submerge yourself into their world.

I can’t put into words how refreshing it was to have that feeling back again.

Our story takes place one year after 9/11, where our protagonist, Oskar Schell (an inquisitive, nine year old inventor), is coming to terms with the loss of his father, who was in the World Trade Centre when the planes struck. Naturally, the tale is emotional but it’s also awe-inspiring, comforting, cathartic and at times, humorous.

Yes, I know that Foer has been criticised for his style of writing by many people (‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Pretentious’ rings a bell) but his writing is the embodiment of post-modern literature, which is personally one of my favourite genres. He ignores the more conventional approaches to narrative and grammar and instead his writing is here, there and everywhere! I’ll admit it, sometimes I found myself wishing he’d just bloody get on with it but for the majority of the time I was engrossed. The characters are believable, they make you laugh and they make you cry. In fact, they made me cry so much I had to take a few breaks in order to calm down.

However, that doesn’t mean that you should avoid this novel at all costs. Quite like John Green’s The Fault in our Stars, Foer manages to navigate a delicate topic whilst still evoking humour, which can be found in Oskar. Oskar is funny in a way that only a nine year old can be. He’s gullible, he’s determined and he’s got a lot of nerve in that ‘I’m cute so I can be cheeky’ sort of way.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close made me think. It got to me. Pardon the pun but the whole read was an extremely loud and incredibly close read. It reminded me about the beauty of life and how grief can be a terribly empowering thing.

Overall, I’m going to give Foer a 4/5 because I have no doubt that this is going to be a favourite of mine for a long time. I could sing the praises of this novel for days and I’d definitely recommend this if you’re comfortable with more obscure reads.

Until next time!
Beth

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