Book 17: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Jonathan Safran Foer is really, in the end, out of his mind. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is just another example of his madness. It's a brilliant madness, of course, with so much boldness and originality that he kind of reinvents the idea of the novel each and every time he publishes.

I can't say I loved this latest book, but that doesn't mean it isn't incredibly well-written, deftly crafted, and exciting. Narrational shifts are now par for the course for Foer, and -- given his history -- you know better than to believe that anyone is reliable. But, with that said, the story holds together as a young boy (with a key) goes in search of a lock (somewhere in the five -- or six -- boroughs of New York).

This was a two-book day for me again, so my advice may not go over with those of you who will take you time with it, but here goes: Read it...and then take some aspirin.

http://www.amazon.com/Extremely-Loud-Incredibly-Close-Novel/dp/0618711651/sr=8-1/qid=1167505528/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1976670-1036856?ie=UTF8&s=books