Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

I've finally succumbed to the craze!  For practical reasons, I now have joined the millions of ebook readers all over the world (Dang you, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1!)  And one of the first ebooks I've read was Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

 
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close tells the story of 9-year-old Oskar Schell who lost his father during the tragic 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.  A year after his father's death, he comes across a key inside his parent's closet which doesn't fit in any lock inside their New York apartment.

The only clue he has is the word "Black", written on the envelope where he found the key in.  Thus begins his journey, talking to different people, with the surname "Black" in their area, and trying to piece together the mystery of the key which his father left behind.

What's interesting about this book is the author's use of images and symbols in his telling of the story.  It's a different take on presenting a fictional novel in, which at times, reminds me of modern art installations (in book form.)

Some parts fare well enough, while some left me feeling confused and totally lost.  I will be the first to admit that modern art frustrates me and thus, a few parts of the novel left me with that sense of loss and desperation for any type of meaning that I guess, those with a more higher appreciation of the art form, can fully enjoy and understand.

Nevertheless, I highly enjoyed reading about Oscar and his eventual release and healing from his deep loss.