Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated, wowed critics on its way to winning several literary prizes, including Book of the Year honors from the Los Angeles Times. It has been published in 24 countries and will soon be a major motion picture. Foer’s talent continues to shine in this hilarious and heartfelt follow-up novel.
Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is a precocious Francophile who idolizes Stephen Hawking and plays the tambourine extremely well. He’s also a boy struggling to come to terms with his father’s death in the World Trade Center attacks. As he searches New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key his father left behind, Oskar discovers much more than he could have imagined.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a masterfully imagined novel from an author Time hails as “a certified wunderkind.”
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"This is an incredible story. I cannot express how well written it is. Its a tough story to swallow. I just finished the book in the middle of class and had to explain to my students why I was crying like a baby. No matter how messed up our families are, we need to remember everything happens for a reason."
— Kasey (5 out of 5 stars)
“Foer takes a dark subject and works in offbeat humor with puns and wordplay. But Extremely Loud pushes further with the inclusion of photographs, illustrations, and mild experiments in typography reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions."
— School Library Journal“The parallel story lines, beautifully narrated by Ferrone and Caruso, add variety to the imaginative and captivating plot.”
— Publishers Weekly" Having 2 boys aged 8 and 11 I really struggled to connect to the boy. Even going through such a tremendous loss, he seemed alien to me! "
— Corine, 2/19/2014" I read this for book club. I think I'm the only one who liked it. I think I identified with the main character somehow, though I'm not sure why. The main character could be quite irritating at times, but I think that's a sign of a well written character. "
— Kristin, 2/3/2014" Very interesting, a bit confusing to follow at times. Although i think that might have been my vacation brain. "
— Renee, 2/1/2014" I found parts of the story really interesting, some funny, some heart warming. Some sections dragged on much longer than felt necessary. The characters were well drawn, had unique voices and perspectives which I really enjoyed. In the end I'm not totally satisfied, left feeling like too much was left unresolved. "
— Kristan, 1/25/2014" Hated it, sorry. "
— Jane, 1/9/2014" Starts out a bit slow but definitely worth the read. "
— Leah, 12/27/2013" Wow. Remarkable. "
— Alex, 12/27/2013" I think I really liked this novel. Very creative, kind of sad. Is this to be taken at face value or is there lots of deeper meaning? "
— Enid, 12/15/2013" kept me captivated the whole way through. One one my favorites by JSF "
— Lexington, 12/7/2013" Maybe four stars. I was confused. Then over come with awareness. Then Huh? Then Oh I get it. may have to rent the movie to understand the book. What's with that?! I might just have to read the book again. "
— Nancy, 11/8/2013" My ultimate favorite book. I don't even have words about how much I enjoyed this. Oscar Wilde. I honestly wish I meet a person like him in my life. "
— Hanan, 11/8/2013" very good book; depressing "
— Evan, 5/9/2013" I read half of it - "
— Joy, 4/16/2013" I'm interested to see the movie now, but I really didn't like the book that much. The kid bothered me within the first 1/2 hr and pretty much was annoying all the way through the book. "
— Danelle, 2/15/2013" Extremely sad and incredibly beautiful. "
— Jade, 12/11/2012" Interesting but never fully got into it "
— Sampras, 9/18/2012" Creatively written, sad, inspiring, quirky and enjoyable to read. Much better than the film (which wasn't bad). All of the factors that annoyed me in the film were absent from the book. 4.5 stars. "
— David, 7/16/2012" I am sad to say that I could not get into this book. "
— Stephanie, 2/17/2012" Man, everyone else gave this 5 stars. Am I a grumpy anti-american? The characters just didn't do it for me. Didn't really catch my interest until the story started wrapping up towards the end. "
— Kathleen, 8/24/2011" Extremely annoying and incredibly off-putting is more like it. "
— Shon, 7/12/2011" This book hit me like a ton of bricks. I can't count the number of times it made me weep while I was reading, but the real testament is how long it stayed with me after I had finished it. "
— Patty, 5/24/2011" Your heart breaks when you read about the impact of 9/11 on this little boy and his mother. The grandparent's story is no less heartbreaking after having survived the bombing of Dresden. Reminded me that life needs to be lived to the fullest everyday. Beautifully told. "
— Leanne, 5/23/2011" i freaking adore this book. i think i enjoyed it so much because it caught me off guard. safran foer takes an unconventional approach to this novel, and the narrator he creates couldn't possibly be more lovable. read this! "
— carly, 5/22/2011" Post modern-starts out great then gets VERY WEIRD. Post 9/11. "
— Amy, 5/20/2011" I loved this book! The boy in the story is very touching, as are all the other characters. The boy is dealing with the death of his father from the Twin Towers attack in NYC. It becomes a sort of mystery. "
— Jan, 5/20/2011" Sept 11 through the eyes of a child...sad and funny at the same time, I loved it "
— Rachel, 5/19/2011" Absolutely not.<br/><br/> I feel like I need to read this book many more times to get it all but I don't know if I can. "
— Anna, 5/17/2011" I read the abridged version. The story is not very meaty, but that doesn't take away from the overall experience. Worth a read. "
— Thomas, 5/17/2011" The characters were eccentric, and yet easy to relate to...the story jumped around and yet kept me engaged. Overall...loved it! "
— Amanda, 5/16/2011" I feel like I just read something that could kill a cat. "
— Cam, 5/16/2011" an extremely interesting writing style, a fascinating read, probably need to read it again to get the most out of it, loved the 9 year olds thought processes, the grandparents were more challenging, all characters interesting & damaged in their own ways, a beautiful book, very moving "
— Katherine, 5/16/2011Jonathan Safran Foer is the author of the novels Everything Is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Here I Am and of the nonfiction books Eating Animals and We Are the Weather. Everything Is Illuminated won several literary prizes, including the National Jewish Book Award and the Guardian First Book Award. His work has been translated into thirty-six languages.
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.
Jeff Woodman is an actor and narrator. He is a winner of the prestigious Audie Award and a six-time finalist. He has received twenty Earphones Awards and was named the 2008 Best Voice in Fiction & Classics, as well as one of the Fifty Greatest Voices of the Century by AudioFile magazine. As an actor, he originated the title role in Tennessee Williams’ The Notebook of Trigorin and won the S. F. Critics’ Circle Award for his performance in An Ideal Husband. In addition to numerous theater credits on and off Broadway, his television work includes Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Cosby.
Barbara Caruso, winner of numerous Earphones Awards for narration, is an accomplished actress. A graduate of London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she was a featured player in the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has played starring roles on Broadway and in theaters across the country. She won the Alexander Scourby Reader of the Year Award for her performances of young adult fiction and has more than one hundred audiobook narrations to her credit.