Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
I can still remember the first time I saw Everything is Illuminated. I started the movie being very skeptical and really only watched it because I am a fan of Elijah Wood and thought this looked like an interesting role for him. If you haven’t seen the movie Everything is Illuminated do yourself a favor and go rent it. It’s a great movie. The characters are believable, yet interesting. The story is slow paced, yet capable of keeping you on the edge of your seat. At the end of the movie I was left with a great respect for the author of the book that the movie was based on. That author was Jonathan Safran Foer. Who happens to be the author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
I am not going to go too deep into the storyline because I am a staunch proponent for the ‘illegalization’ of spoilers and I don’t want to take anything away from you picking the book up and reading it for yourself. The basic storyline follows a boy (Thomas) who lost his father to the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11. As you read, you are given an intimate look into the lives of the people who were left behind by their loved ones and the struggles they have as they continue to clean up the rubble from their lives. The relationship between Thomas and his father is one that transcends a simple flesh and bone connection and embodies what I think every son wishes he had with his father: a relationship that doesn’t end at the grave. It’s a beautiful story and a study on relationships that should not be ignored.
Now, I do have to make one disclaimer. I loved this book. LOVED it. I also HATED this book. I loved the story telling. I loved how well you felt you knew these characters. I loved how Foer was able to paint such a vivid picture of the lives of these people that you really feel like you know them personally and truly begin to care for them and want to see them happy. That is is also why I hated it. Life is not as simple as “happily every after.” Not everything comes together in the end and things are definitely not always how they seem. These are elements that Foer uses to make this story so real that the reader feels it is quite possible these events happened to them and not some names in a book.
I have not seen the movie at the time of writing this blog, but I am looking forward to it. I am not sure how certain parts of the book will be portrayed in the movie, but if they stay true to the heart of the story, then I am sure they can’t go wrong. Plus, who doesn’t like a good Tom Hanks movie, even if it does have that annoying chick from All About Steve in it?
Just jokes. All love, Sandra Bullock.
