Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Jonathan Safran Foer |
| Products | Novel |
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a 2005 novel authored by Jonathan Safran Foer. The story is narrated by nine-year-old Oskar Schell, who uncovers a key inside a vase that belonged to his father, a casualty of the September 11 attacks. This discovery sets Oskar on a quest throughout New York City to find the lock the key opens, in an effort to find closure after his father's passing.
Synopsis
Following the death of his father Thomas in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, Oskar Schell experiences insomnia, panic episodes, and depression. His relationship with his mother becomes tense, particularly as she starts dating Ron, whom Oskar resents.
After discovering a key inside a shattered vase in his father’s closet, Oskar embarks on a mission to visit every individual named Black in New York City, hoping to locate the matching lock. He chronicles this journey through a binder filled with keepsakes. Early in his search, he befriends Abby Black but gains no useful information from her. Later, Oskar encounters an elderly man he dubs "the renter," who is ultimately revealed as his estranged grandfather.
Oskar’s exploration lasts several months and includes companionship from his quirky neighbor Mr. A. Black. After meeting Ruth at the Empire State Building, Mr. Black departs to be with her, leaving Oskar a card inscribed "Oskar Schell: Son." Months later, Abby reaches out to Oskar with new leads and directs him to her former husband William Black.
William explains that the key originally belonged to his father and was connected to a safe-deposit box; however, William had sold the vase containing the key to Thomas Schell. Oskar shares an intimate memory about his father's last voicemail during 9/11 but eventually returns the key to William, feeling disheartened. He also discovers that his mother had been aware of and subtly supported his search by informing the Blacks beforehand.
Upon learning about Ron’s own personal tragedies, Oskar starts developing a bond with him. On the second anniversary of Thomas’s death, Oskar and "the renter" exhume Thomas's grave and bury letters written by the grandfather to his unborn son. This act fosters reconciliation between Oskar and his mother, who confesses that Thomas had lied about coming home during his final call to comfort her. Following this, Oskar rearranges the pages in his binder in reverse order to relive his last moments with his father.
A concurrent storyline unfolds through letters penned by Oskar's grandfather to Thomas and by Oskar's grandmother to Oskar himself. These letters recount experiences from World War II, family history, and personal relationships. After learning of Thomas’s death, the grandfather returns to New York City, reconnects with family members, and eventually reunites with the grandmother at an airport where they contemplate loss and marriage.
The novel concludes with a flip-book animation inspired by Lyle Owerko's photograph of a man falling from the World Trade Center, creating an illusion of upward motion.
Characters
- Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old central character, is an imaginative and bright boy who considers himself an inventor, amateur entomologist, origamist, and archaeologist. He demonstrates exceptional empathy for his age and frequently explores creative ideas. Oskar is trusting and easily forms friendships, though few peers share his interests. The film adaptation suggests he may be on the autism spectrum; he mentions inconclusive testing during his initial encounter with Abby Black.
- Linda Schell, Oskar's mother, is deeply devoted to her family. After Thomas's death, she tells Oskar she "won't fall in love again." She permits Oskar’s explorations around the city as part of his coping process.
- Oskar's grandmother is protective and often calls out to him. Having immigrated to the United States, she embraced American culture through extensive reading. She is Anna’s younger sister and was married to Oskar's grandfather before their separation.
- Mr. A. Black, a 103-year-old neighbor, accompanies Oskar for part of his journey. After an adventurous past, he had remained inside his apartment for 24 years and was nearly deaf until Oskar activates his hearing aids.
- Thomas Schell Sr., known as "the renter," is Oskar's grandfather who plays a significant role despite limited interaction until late in the story. After losing his first love Anna during WWII, he becomes mute, tattoos “yes” and “no” on his hands for communication, and uses a "daybook." He later marries Anna’s sister.
- Anna, an absent figure in the narrative, was Thomas Sr.’s first love who perished in the Dresden firebombings during World War II after revealing she was pregnant. She is also Oskar’s grandmother’s sister.
- Abby Black, ex-wife of William Black and aged 48, lives alone. She welcomes Oskar warmly but declines his offer of a kiss.
- Thomas Schell, Oskar’s father who died in the One World Trade Center attacks prior to the novel’s events. Remembered as caring and often humming The Beatles’ "I Am the Walrus," he organized adventures that inspire Oskar's quest involving the mysterious key.
- Stan is the doorman who informs Oskar about mail deliveries.
- Buckminster is Oskar’s pet cat.
Background
Jonathan Safran Foer developed the protagonist while simultaneously working on a different narrative. He explained, "I was engaged with another story that felt burdensome. As a side endeavor, I became intrigued by the perspective of this child... I found myself dedicating more time to it and eager to continue." Foer clarified that although the child's voice in the novel is not a direct imitation, it was carefully constructed to seem genuine.
Foer wove this character into a storyline centered around 9/11, inspired by his own emotional response to the attacks. After returning from Spain, a friend woke him to watch the news coverage of the World Trade Center collapse, describing it as an "unusual day." Foer stressed the necessity of addressing 9/11 in his work, particularly as a New Yorker profoundly impacted by the event.
Themes
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close delves into themes of trauma, grief, familial relationships, and the conflict between self-destruction and survival. Researchers Sien Uytterschout and Kristiaan Versluys examine how Oskar’s grandparents handle trauma from the Dresden bombings, drawing parallels to Oskar’s reaction to his father’s passing. They emphasize Oskar’s coexistence of a death wish alongside a robust will to survive—a motif echoed in Thomas Schell, Sr.’s survivor guilt and Oskar’s grandmother’s hidden suffering. Though Oskar’s mission to “find” his father does not heal his trauma entirely, it does deepen his bond with his mother.
Cultural impact
By 2002, writers began crafting novels addressing 9/11 to commemorate the tragedy. Jonathan Safran Foer’s work stood out among those portraying the aftermath through the eyes of a New Yorker. The emergence of 9/11 fiction represented both a new literary subgenre and a challenge for many authors. Richard Gray observed in After The Fall that authors grappled with language, finding their usual expressive tools insufficient for conveying the attacks’ impact. There was an urge to capture both personal and societal consequences while mourning collectively, yet many found this task daunting.
Foer’s choice of a child narrator embodies this difficulty, symbolizing the struggle to process trauma following 9/11.
The novel became one of the most prominent within this subgenre, amplifying its thematic concerns. Beyond recounting the events themselves, it sheds light on experiencing profound loss. Rebecca Miller from the Library Journal noted how Foer examines misunderstandings intensified by grief’s silence. The book provides a framework for understanding and moving beyond grief caused by catastrophe. It remains distinctive as one of few works extracting enduring significance from contemporary disasters, offering profound insight into mourning and loss.
Critical response
John Updike writing in The New Yorker characterized the novel as "thinner, overextended, and sentimentally watery" relative to Foer’s first book, remarking that its "hyperactive visual surface" concealed monotony beneath its verbal drama. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times recognized moments of emotional depth and technical skill but criticized the novel as contrived and inconsistent, highlighting the unsympathetic child narrator as a significant drawback. The decision to use a child narrator generated controversy, with many reviewers finding it implausible or difficult to connect with.
Despite mixed critiques, numerous reviewers offered praise. Foer’s child narrator was included in John Mullan’s "Ten of the Best Child Narrators" list published in The Guardian. The Spectator described it as a "heartbreaker: tragic, funny, intensely moving," appreciating its examination of suffering spanning generations and continents. Rebecca Miller emphasized that Foer’s prose lightens an inherently sorrowful tale, rendering it engaging. Sam Munson lauded Foer’s talent for selecting meaningful topics and delivering a unique voice that rises above historical tumult.
Reception
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close received significant accolades, such as:
- Inclusion in the New York Public Library's "Books to Remember" list
- Shortlisting for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2007
- Reaching the quarterfinals of The Morning News Tournament of Books in 2006
- Appearing on The New York Times Bestseller list for Fiction in 2005
- Winning the Libraires du Québec award for Roman hors Québec in 2007
- Being named among the ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound in Literature & Language Arts in 2009
- Selected as an ALA Notable Books for Adults title in 2006
- Featured in Village Voice’s 25 Favorite Books of 2005
- Receiving the V&A Illustration Award in 2005
Despite its widespread praise, the novel frequently faced challenges and was listed by the American Library Association as one of the top 100 banned and challenged books from 2010 through 2019.
Film adaptation
The book was transformed into a motion picture that premiered on January 20, 2012. The screenplay was crafted by Eric Roth, with direction by Stephen Daldry. The ensemble cast featured Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Viola Davis, Max von Sydow, Jeffrey Wright, alongside Thomas Horn, who portrayed Oskar Schell at age twelve. Produced collaboratively by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., this adaptation attracted considerable attention within the film industry.
See also
Bibliography
Further reading
- Vanderwees, Chris. "Photographs of Falling Bodies and the Ethics of Vulnerability in Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Canadian Review of American Studies. 45.2 (2015): 171–94.
External links
- Interview with Foer following the novel's publication, featured in Mother Jones Magazine, May/June 2005.
Reviews
- Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False – critique by Harry Siegel, New York Press
- Terror Comes to Tiny Town – assessment by Laura Miller, New York magazine
- A Bag of Tired Tricks – analysis by B. R. Myers, The Atlantic
- A tower of babble – review by Michel Faber, The Guardian