Jonathan Safran Foer: Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close

February 2007 Book of the Month: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer:

Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, and pacifist. 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. As Oskar roams New York, he encounters a motley assortment of humanity who are all survivors in their own way.

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I thought I would start this month's discussion off with a question from The Loft Literary Center. They have a number of good questions about this book there. Feel free to answer the question asked, or to talk about something completely different.

In his review of the book, critic and novelist Michel Faber asks, “Aren't we accustomed to suspending disbelief for an unnaturally articulate pre-adult voice?”

Was Oskar a convincing narrator or did you have trouble suspending your disbelief?

Ooh, I've read this. Didn't realise it had been even nominated else I'd have reread it for the occasion. But anyway...

mehastings said:

I thought I would start this month's discussion off with a question from The Loft Literary Center. They have a number of good questions about this book there. Feel free to answer the question asked, or to talk about something completely different.

In his review of the book, critic and novelist Michel Faber asks, “Aren't we accustomed to suspending disbelief for an unnaturally articulate pre-adult voice?”

Was Oskar a convincing narrator or did you have trouble suspending your disbelief?

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I think Oskar was not only a believable narrator but a fantastic one! Admittedly, parts of the novel were far-fetched, such as Oskar's grandfather being unable to speak (although even that premise remains fairly convincing) and the neighbour who never went out (and this too - even the most extraordinary aspects still could happen), but these did not really contribute to the story, or Oskar's telling of it anyway. I felt that his voice could be typical of that of any nine-year-old boy who had lost his father in such circumstances - from the constant playing over of the voice messages left by his father on that fateful day to him inflicting "bruises on himself" (maybe mis-quoted, over a year since I read it), to his closeness to his grandmother.

I'll concede that I can't actually remember what the key unlocked in the end, could someone enlighten me...

I thought the entire book was an amazing accomplishment for a writer so early in his writing career, and loved all the (perhaps unecessary) pages fulll of numbers and writing on top of writing on top of writing, etc.

As an aside, having read Faber's Under the Skin, I think he has a cheek saying anything about suspending disbelief...

Ultimately I found this a depressing book; there were no happy endings, nor any sense of real hope or closure. Not for Oskar, his Mum or his grandparents. The only part to really raise my spirits was the personal letter sent at last to Oskar by Stephen Hawking.
I did enjoy Oskar's voice - this was what kept me turning the pages - but it was not really believable as belonging to a nine-year-old, even a very bright one.

I quite liked this book. It is somewhat different. Oskar is very real one, not a fake. I liked that he "googled" a lot - this is what children (both old and young ) are doing today to find information, do not they?

I also regret that I did not have this book before I travelled to New York about five years ago. Would be nice to recognize places from the book.

But still I guess that "Everything Is Illuminated" by Foer is a much-much better book than the "extremely loud" one. That one had an ingenious a sence of humor. "Extremely loud" one tries to mimic the "everything is illuminated", or at least I had such a feeling.

By the way, it is my first time that I participate in a discussion of "the book of the month". Somehow I could not find what to say.

So when I decided to post here (this time I had something to say about the Foer book), I looked in a history of the already discussed books. Astonishingly, "Lolita" had much more responses than this February discussion book. Well it is not strange at all, Lolita is very provocative and one can not compare Foer to Nabokov (would be like comparing a mongrel pony to Orlov's trotter )

Foer is just cute. And he has his very own style.

I had around 5 more chapters to go, but I had to return the book since it was loaned. I stopped reading at the point where Oskar met his grandfather in his grandmother's house. So could somebody please help me by spoiling what happened in the end?

mehastings said:

Was Oskar a convincing narrator or did you have trouble suspending your disbelief? [/I]

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This was something I had trouble with. If he was a little older than a 9-year-old, I could have believed it. But it's a little unbelievable for me.

I had trouble turning the pages because it didn't have enough to compel me to read further. The only thing that made me do so is to know which lock was the key supposed to open, and which person was the name Black belong to and how that same person is related to Oskar's father.

So could somebody help me solve the mystery to the key? I would really appreciate it.

Safran Foer helped design the book, which includes photos, graphics, colorful inks, blank pages and pages with a single word or sentence printed on them. What was your reaction to the visual elements of the book? Did they enhance or detract from your experience as a reader?

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One thing I enjoyed though was the graphics and photos. It's somehow a little visual break from reading on the lock's search and the family history which could be a little tiring, well at least for me.

I'm not sure what to think of the pages with words or sentences. In the first place I don't quite like the idea of his grandfather dedicating every page for just a single word or a sentence. It's just something that doesn't make sense.

Has anyone taken the time to figure out what is written or said on pages 269-271? This is where, I believe, the renter is in an airport again calling Grandma. I have looked a little online but wasn't about to find anything, and before i spend an hour figuring it out, was curious if soemone already had.

Number Code in Extremely Loud

Freespirit, I just finished the book and am looking to see if there is a translation for pages 269-271. Were you able to find anything, or did you translate it yourself?

Hi everyone. English's not my mothertoungue and it's taking me a lot of time to find out what's hidden in these pages from the novel. Did anyone find out?
Thanks.