bookyanna 's review for:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
4.5
adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Well written, emotive and reflective. Explores responses to trauma and grief across three intertwined narratives - a grandmother and estranged grandfather, both of whom survived the WW2 Dresden bombings, and Oskar (their grandchild) who recently lost his father during 9/11. The underlying mystery of a key without a lock keeps the plot ticking along, and creates opportunities for characters to interact and stories unfold. I was engaged throughout.