A Book About 9/11 That Feels The Same Way You Do

                             By Kevin Myers |  Off the Shelf

Thursday, September 11, 2014 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, as the title suggests, has a style I’d describe as relentless and exhausting. I was afraid to read this book because I didn’t want to feel wrung out afterwards. On this day, I think we all feel that way, at least a little bit. But like many great works of art, the ones we must see are also the most difficult to face. I’m sure many folks like me get stomach knots to see September 11, 2001 reflected in any work of art or literature. But as we’ve said here before: some books are hard to read, and that’s why we have to read them. 

Our main character, a young boy named Oskar, has lost his father in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Some time later, he finds a key in his father’s bedroom. Oskar decides to locate the lock for the key in hopes of re-connecting with his father…perhaps his dad meant for Oskar to find something meaningful with this key. His quest leads him to many people across New York City. During his search, Oskar obsesses over what may have happened to his dad on 9/11, what he knew, and what he heard. The other people in his life also deal with the trauma and the aftershocks. Oskar’s mom has a new friend who may or may not be a romantic interest. His grandmother lives across the street and has her share of the first-person narrative voice, taking us from NYC to Dresden, Germany in the days of World War II. Even Oskar’s mysterious grandfather has a narrative voice, speaking through his hands and written words, but never using his own voice.

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