Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: In the wake of his father's death on "the worst day" in the World Trade Center disaster on 9/11, nine-year-old Oskar Schell struggles to deal with his loss while trying to discover the origins of a key he finds in a vase in his father's closet. His journey takes him all over New York city while simultaneously exploring his Grandparents brief love affair before the birth of Oskar's father.
Review: Ok so I'll admit, I cheated a little with this one. I've read it before. I was gathering book ideas from the girls at work and told them of my 50 in '12 plan and they all wanted to be a part of it. The next thing I knew we had formed a book club. I like the format of it. We pick a book and everyone reads it at their own pace with and end date in mind. This way we aren't held to each others reading pace and can finish or read ahead with no worries. When everyone is finished, we plan to get together and watch the movie and discuss the book. I had suggested this book to a few girls before and it was decided that this would be our first one. I promise I re-read it.
I love this book. It is written in a very interesting way. I really enjoyed getting right inside the head of Oskar and even though it can be a bit confusing and jumbled at points, I found that made it better. This is not a story in the truest sense of the word. This book is a journey. It is an examination of the psyche of a child dealing with truly heartbreaking issues and finding a sense of peace in it all. I liked the interjection of the Grandparents story throughout the book as well. I even took the time to translate a bit of the "numbers" chapter.
I know that this book was panned by a lot of critics on it's release as "cashing in on the 9/11 tragedy" and "not well written" but I disagree. I found it a powerful story that sticks with you. Characters in it can easily be related to. Everyone has met someone like one of the many "Blacks" at one point. It's interesting to see how each person responds to Oskar's quest.
If you haven't taken the time to read this, please do. I have also seen the movie and I think they have done a very good adaptation of a difficult to translate novel. For me, the flip book images on the last few pages will always inspire and haunt.
I give this book 4.5 heartbreaks out of 5 and raise it with Hope.
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