I recently read the novel, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” by Johnathan Safran Foer.
The novel was one of the first fictitous books written that was based on the events of 9/11. Oskar Schnell is a precocious 9-year old who is multilingual, vegan, intelligent, meticulous, and methodological. The novel is based around his interesting ways of dealing with the absence of his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. A second story, which coorelates with Oskar’s, is based on the lives of his grandparents. Their stories are mostly told through letters they had written to each other or to Oskar. Both Oskar’s story and the grandparents’ story are ambiguous and leave room for interpretation.
The book had multimedia aspects to it, including pictures and text alterations. The past two books I have read included these literary techniques, and I expect to see more authors utilize this contemporary post-modern style into their novels. I think that many modern authors are incorporating these creative additions that were previously unseen or uncommon in fictitous literature. It is a new movement in literature that adds elements of art, philosophy, and intellect while appealing to multiple senses.
I felt that the novel was very ambitious and innovative. I certainly enjoyed reading the superficial story, but I was also able to interpret many underlying meanings. At first, the story seemed confusing and unconnected, but there were many subtle connections to be made once I continued reading. Granted, the book gave me “heavy boots,” but I found it to be an inspirational and extremely well-written story.
Jonathan Safran Foer has also written another novel, entitled, “Everything is Illuminated.”
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