"Foer can place his reader's hand on the heart of human experienc, the transcendent beauty of human connections. Read, you can feel the life beating." --Philadelphia Inquirer
Jonathan Safran Foer's first novel, Everything Is Illuminated, won numerous awards and was made into a really great movie (if anyone wants to check it out). Since I'm struggling to know exactly what to say, I'm copying and pasting something from a different website.
"Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the attack on the World Trade Center. An inspired creation, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating, and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to Harlem on his search. Along the way he is always dreaming up inventions to keep those he loves safe from harm. What about a birdseed shirt to let you fly away? What if you could actually hear everyone's heartbeat? His goal is hopeful, but the past speaks a loud warning in stories of those who've lost loved ones before. As Oskar roams New York, he encounters a motley assortment of characters who are all survivors in their own way. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close boldly approaches history and tragedy with humor, tenderness, and awe."
Just a warning. Foer's style is contemporary post-modernism, which means it might take some getting used to. He employs unusual techniques to amplify the power of his story. If you flip through the pages of the book you'll see blank pages, pictures, uneven spacing, and different type settings that are intended to make the experience of reading the prose more interactive--to immerse the reader entirely. Foer is an incredible writer, so immerse yourselves and enjoy.
