Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The main reason why I started reading this book is because my sister sent me a link of the movie adaptation trailer and I told myself, I wanted to read it before I watch it. This is the first Jonathan Safran Foer book that I've read and I don't understand why I just started reading his work. Some of his books have been on my to-read list and getting this one crossed out made me a fan. The book is extremely hilarious and incredibly touching.

The story is very unpredictable. It took me from 9-tear-old Oskar Schell's adventure after his father died at the 9/11 tragedy to his grandparents' story years ago during the bombing in Dresden, Germany. Back and forth. Back and forth. It made me laugh out loud, then made me pause and digest the words. I never would have guessed how the "mystery" of the Black key would be solved.

Reading the book is a journey. I noted a lot of quotable quotes and learned a lot of trivia. I found it funny how Tom Hanks was mentioned in the book and now, he'll be playing Thomas Schell (Oskar's father) in the movie. It was nice seeing "Philippines" mentioned as well.

I've grown to love Oskar. At first, he reminded me of Charlie from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", but then again, he's totally different. I like his innocence and the way he likes writing letters. I like how smart he is and how he idolizes Stephen Hawking. I like his vulnerability and the words he used. I read the line "Succotash my balzac you dip shiitake!" again and again so I can laugh at it some more. One of my favorite moments was when he was playing "the game" with Dr. Fein, his psychiatrist. I couldn't stop laughing then. It's amazing how Oskar touched and changed so many lives. In the end, I just wanted to hug him and tell him it's gonna be okay.

I've watched the trailer a couple of times before. I watched it again after reading the book and saw it in an entirely different light. One, I don't think this is another movie made to just profit from 9/11. Two, this time, the trailer made me cry. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" gave me heavy boots but still made me feel like a hundred dollars.

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