Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

I don't know that I have ever read a book like this one. It's a fascinating that the subject of the September 11 terrorist attacks is addressed through the eyes of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, and a very unique and intelligent nine-year-old at that. Oskar's father was in the World Trade Center and died when the tower he was in collapsed on September 11, 2001.

The author explores humans and our emotions in a realistic way - messy, vulnerable, self-conscious, angry, hypothetical, repressed, sad, nostalgic and uncertain. While reading the book, I was led to tears, felt uncomfortable, laughed and wanted so desperately for Oskar to find what he is searching for (read the book to find out what that is exactly!). Oskar is an exceptionally perceptive and intelligent character, and I caught myself more than a few times wondering how he could be so immature and naive and had to remind myself that he is only 9 years old.

Nothing in the novel felt artificial or forced; the characters and situations all seem real and I felt as if they could have happened to me or to someone I know. Maybe that is what helps this novel resonate with the reader. Can't wait to see how the movie adaptation rates coming from such an interesting and fantastic novel.