Review: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
3 stars.
There are points in some books that make you want to cry openly. Perhaps this is because the subject matter hits close to home or just because the passages are very sad portions of the book. This book evokes this emotion from readers in the first chapter and doesn’t stop until about halfway through the book. The novel focuses on Oskar Schell, a smart, yet emotional child whose father died in the 9/11 terrorist attack. His father leaves him a key in a vase in the house, and Oskar has to find out the reason for this and what the key unlocks. The main complaint I have with this novel is that it bounces around too much and switches between different perspectives. This makes the book feel more like an autobiography at times, limiting the book’s emotional appeal. Despite its minor flaws, expect the book to take you on a journey with Oskar as he finds the answers he’s searching for. A film version of this 2005 novel will be released in January, 2012.
If you like this, check out “The Good Life.”
