“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran

Foer

Jonathan Safran Foer is an American novelist. He is known for his novels Everything Is
Illuminated (2002), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2005), Here I Am (2016) and
others.
Foer combined the character he had been developing with the 9/11-centered plot. He
created the story line from his personal experiences and reactions regarding the
terrorist attacks on 9/11. Foer was sleeping off jet lag after returning to New York City
from a trip to Spain, when he was woken by a phone call from a friend: "He said to turn
on the TV. Also he said that it's a greater risk not to write about [9/11].
Oskar Schell is a super-smart nine-year old grieving the loss of his father, Thomas, who
was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. He's feeling
depressed and anxious, and feels angry and distant towards his mother. He's been
pretty traumatized by his Dad's death and is afraid of just about everything. And he has
a terrible secret. When His Dad called last time, Oskar was too afraid to pick up, and the
line went dead. He's been so guilty about that since it happened that he hid the
answering machine and hasn't told anyone about the messages.

One day, Oskar finds a key in a little envelope with the word Black on it. Oskar realizes
this must be a name, and he decides to track down every person in New York City with
the last name Black. None of the Blacks know anything about the key, but a Mr. Black,
who's never left his apartment in 24 years, agrees to help Oskar on his search. Oskar
goes to his Grandma's apartment and talks to her mysterious renter, who, unbeknownst
to Oskar, is Oskar's Grandpa. Oskar's grandfather had abandoned his grandmother
when she became pregnant with Oskar's Dad. He has returned to the U.S. just before
September 11 to reunite with his family, but too late to meet his son, Oskar's dad.
Grandpa moves back in with Grandma.

Oskar tells the renter the whole story about his Dad and the search. At last, Oskar finds
out that the key belongs to the second Black he spoke with, It was a key for his own
dead dad's safe deposit box. Oskar was kind of disappointed that the key didn't have
much to do with his own dad at all.

I found this novel as an affirmation of life. If it makes you cry, take joy for the fact Foer
reminds us we are human, not only capable of acts of inhumanity, but also capable of
acts of great love and forgiveness. So I will give it 5 points out of 5.
I recommend this book to everyone except those who take everything to heart and who
are too sentimental, because it is hard to remember all the events of September 11
again.