Safran Foer illuminates love and loss
Wed 02 November 2011
Stephanie McLeay, Bachelor of Journalism
Having just finished Incredibly Loud and Increasingly Close by Jonathon Safran Foer, I finally managed to do something I could not for days: put the book down.
This haunting tale at first seems to be about a lost and hurting little boy, but turns into something bigger, an exploration of the different faces of loss.
It would be impossible to read this book and remain unmoved.
A young boy who lost his father in September 11 tells the story.
An intelligent and imaginative boy, he finds a key labelled Black and makes it his mission to find its origiin.
Through his childish voice and perceptions, brought to life by Safran’s flowing prose, the reader is invited to see the world and its failings through different eyes.
In the end it is not just the boy’s story, but the story of all the people he meets on his way.
The main narrative is broken up by tidbits of his grandmother and grandfather’s unique and poignant relationship, as their story runs a paralell to the boy’s search for meaning.
These short stories within the story give a more complex understanding, and are some of my favourite parts of the book.
I dare any reader to be unaffected by this honest portayal of what it means to love and lose, and I rate it a must read.
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