Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Response

War and violence are undeniably destructive to the mental well being of those who have experienced it, especially for children. Many anti-war books have explored the war’s effects on people. Very few books, however, explore the effect violence has on people over time and throughout generations as Jonathan Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close does. The unique thing about this book is that through seemingly random but interconnected stories, the constantly changing font and numerous images, the readers are drawn into the world of the characters and are encouraged to think about the full meaning of peace and war as well as the importance of hope during difficult times. Unlike many other books, this book never follows a clear timeline. It

At the beginning of the book, Oskar is tortured by his father’s death and their memories together become “hole in the middle of (him) that every happy thing fell into” (Foer 71), and he is angry because his mother seems happy when she should be “adding to the Reservoir of Tears”(Foer 52). Through his journey to find the lock, Oskar gradually learns to move on by making new friends. He enjoys his time with his new friend and neighbor Mr. Black and learns to appreciate her mother’s efforts to help her family ease the pain. Meanwhile, Oskar’s grandfather returns to his family after 40 years “to mourn and try to live” (Foer 268) as he finds, in his solitary years, that he cares about and needs the love of his family. In the end, he is forgiven by his wife and is accepted by his family. These heartwarming stories demonstrate to people in distress that even after traumatic loss, there are still ways to recover and to be happy again if only they are willing to share with their families, to be patient, to love and hope, to let new people into their lives and hearts and to grow up from the experience like the characters do. All in all, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an exceptional book that explores the effects of violence on families overtime and recoveries from such experience. It tells an engaging stories about peace, violence, loss, love, family and growth. This book pushes people to think, to love each other, to appreciate life and to maintain peace in