The 5 star system here on goodreads, means that you thought the Book was amazing. That being the case I logically could have rated it a 10. There is soooo much that is amazing about this book. I only finished last night, this morning while shaving I thought of even another amazing thing.

There are some that complain , "I couldn't get into the writing style", or "I hate the way he did the conversation parts, they were confusing". Well, IMHO, those are just lame ass reasons for not liking this book. I know that I should not cast judgement, and I really am not. I feel bad for them because, again IMHO they are missing one of the greatest books that I have read in 2008. Sure there may be people with black and shriveled hearts that don't "get" this book. I feel badly for them as well.

How an author can take so much pain,hurt,despair and regret,and make it such an enjoyable read DESPITE these things is laudable. If you don't feel something for one of the characters, perhaps you should make a Dr's Appt. maybe you are dead, or a zombie. Oskar Schell will live in my memory as one of my Favorite Characters of all time. Undaunted, by the enormity of his task he with much thought ( but not much caring about what needed to be done) simply did it. Talk with everyone in NYC with the last name of Black?? Most of us would have quit right there,claiming it's impossibility.

I will admit I did not care for Oskar's Mom very much in the beginning,actually not until about the middle of the book when Oskar and his Mom have an arguement and He tells her if he could have chosen who died,he would have chosen her. I began to feel her pain more at that point.

Then near the end when we find out that his Mom had been helping as much as she could, I began to Love her. She knew, she understood, that the search for the lock his key opened was something he had to do on his own. She did not get in his way, or try to hinder him in any way. In fact she acted as if she knew nothing about it, all the time, doing what she could to make his journey an easier one.

It made me think alot about how much parents (I think Mothers moreso)do really go out of their way to guide, Nurture and protect the things they hold most dear. But the thing is MOST of what they do will go unnoticed,it will fly under the radar. The most wonderful thing about that is they (the parents/Mothers) know what they did or are doing will not be acknowledged,they do it anyway.

In the end No one really got what they wanted, except maybe a little more understanding of Love and the way it works. Dad did not miraculously miss the attack. Mom did not find a new love,in fact said she would never fall in love again. Oskar did find the Lock but it was in no way what he wanted or needed it to be, or perhaps it was exactly what he needed it to be. Grandma and Grandpa,did Love each other deeply but neither could escape the Ghosts from their past and therefore could not be together. The last letter we read from his Grandma, in which she finally realized it was important to tell the ones you love that you do indeed love them was a 3 tissue passage for me. Some people never get it,others get it but it comes to them too late. I would like to thank those who recommended this book to me, it was amazing. I know it will stay with me for a long time to come.

“My life story is the story of everyone I’ve ever met.”

Wow. W O W.

I had an inkling when I first tried to read this book that it would trigger some unresolved trauma within me, which is why I set it aside back when it still felt a bit too much. But coming into this now, I can say I’m glad for the wait. I needed it.

Funny enough, I decided to pick up Foer’s book after seeing it in a dream recently where I was roaming the library shelves for the right read. My dream featured Foer’s Here I Am, but in real life, my local library currently only holds his Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It felt like the right time to dive in.

Firstly, I have to highlight my keen appreciation for Foer’s characters. He breathes life into his creations. I’m a sucker for his dialogue and curious character traits. I still think about a particular line I read in Here I Am that gave voice to the process of growing up – it all happens in one day when you don’t pick up the little one and then you realize they’re not so little anymore.

I have trust in his writing. The quote I opened this review with has been with me since at least 2014. His words have staying power.

Usually, I’d cover my thoughts and feelings throughout my reading. Usually. This book is different in that the last 30 pages had me releasing tears that have felt stuck for the last ten years. Like, I could wash my face with all the tears that kept on coming. I feel compelled to focus on that experience. I’ve never had a book release me so. Is this the peace of mind everyone keeps mentioning? I guess that’s why I kept avoiding this book like the plague.

I’ll admit at first I had a bit of a tough time with this book because I felt so invested in Oskar, and I just couldn’t bring myself to care about this other bizarre storyline happening with his grandparents or the hunt. The author excels at interactions – so please, don’t bore me with subplots of characters we won’t see again.

The book built itself up just for the ending. And so it felt heavy because we spent so much time circling around the real issue for it to then be uncovered so completely felt a bit jolting, at least for me. I mean, that would explain my extreme reaction.

“My search was a play that Mom had written, and she knew the ending when I was at the beginning.”

Oskar’s mental state was all I cared about. The last 40 pages granted me peace of mind after seeing someone you care for finally receiving the attention they deserve. Protect him at all costs! I kept yelling whenever I’d read how no one monitors the terrible things he looks up online (“which I know about but really, really wish I didn’t”). But I have an affinity for his inventions and curiosity, though I feel bad that they keep him from falling asleep. I love the thought that he’d be thrilled to know that some of his inventions finally exist, like the cuddle bed. What a gem of a boy!

What keeps echoing in me are the phone calls (and when the tears really hit):

“Are you there? Are you there? Are you there?”

Tears.

For a book that started off barely keeping my attention throughout it, those last pages really picked up the game. If I were to draw a graph of my reading experience, the spike shows with the chapter, “A Simple Solution To An Impossible Problem.”

It took me a full day to come back to write about it.

Oh, and coming into this book after having watched The King of Staten Island, I can’t help but go back to this scene in the movie that mirrors the thought-process of children who went through trauma: When they drop Harold off at school, Scott tells him to kiss his sister goodbye. “Now, if she dies tomorrow, you’ll remember that.” The end is always in sight.

There’s also this line in the book “the end of missing someone” that pains me because it hit me now as I’m writing that Oskar won’t experience that feeling again… heavy boots. That’s why he’s so eager to hear new memories people have of his dad. Oh. I’m telling you, this read isn’t light.

But the fact that I can write so many lines simply over that ending shows just how its all-encompassing nature. I’ll have to prepare for Here I Am next.

n  n
n  n

This review and more can be found on my blog.

چـــــــــــــرا جــــــــــــــــــایی که تــــــــــــــــــو هســــــــــــــــــتی مـــــــــــــــــــن نیســــــــتـــــم

بینهایت بلند و به غایت نزدیک را روزی تابستانی و گرم که نتوانستم با کسی بیرون برم پس رفتم کتابفروشی خریدم { به قول اسکار : با اینکه روز غم انگیزی بود، واقعا زیبا به نظر میرسید}. به محض رسیدن و شروع به خواندن کردن میدانستم با پست مدرنی ساده و در عین حال عجیب طرفم که بودم.
هر چه بیشتر پیش رفتم بیش تر در کتاب غرق شدم و در همان روز تمام شدن کتاب فیلمم دیدم که مانند بیشتر اقتباس ها پایین تر از کتاب بود و رابطه ی پدربزرگ و مادربزرگ اسکار نتوانست به آن خالصی کلمات درآید. اما گذاشت بیشتر در دنیای کتاب سیر کنم و لذت ببرم . کتاب درباره اسکار شل پسری نه ساله است که پس از مرگ پدرش در حادثه ی 11 سپتامبر و پس از زجر هایی که میکشد کلیدی بالای کمد پدرش پیدا میکند و شروع میکند به تک تک سر زدن به خانه های نیویورک که صاحبانی با نام بلک دارند. فکر میکند کلید را پدرش برایش به جا گذاشته تا به ماجراجویی دعوتش کند...

آنچه کتاب را زیباتر میکرد قدرت کلمات بود که درکنار هم جفت شده بودند، تکه هایی بودند که میگفتم دارم شعر میخوانم و این کلمات از یک رمان بالا نمی آیند، در واقع نمیدانستم که داستانی را شعرگونه نوشته اند یا شعری را جای داستان به من قالب کرده اند. در هر دو صورت چیزی از عشق من به شاعرانگی کتاب کم نشد ...
مثل

یکی از از بازوهام را تا کرد.
یکی از بازوهام را صاف کرد.
هفته ی بعد موهام را تماشاکرد، چیزی حدود پنج یا پنجاه دقیقه

یا
خواهران جوان زیر سقف خانه ی کودکی شان . باد به پنجره ها می زد.
چه طور چیزی کمتر از این میتوانست استحقاق خراب شدن را داشته باشد ؟


صفحات و عکس هایی که شخصا فکر میکنم کتاب بدون آن ها به این درصد از تاثیرگذاری نمیرسید و ترجمه و قلم نویسنده و دیالوگ های عجیب و خنده دار واقع گرایانه و پایان بندی همه دست به دست هم دادند که بیشتر لذت ببرم.
توجه و اهمیت بسیار زیاد نویسنده به کانون خانواده که برای بعضی گرم و برای بعضی سرد است،به حدی اجتناب ناپذیر بود که حس میکردم اگر از خانواده ام شخصی کم شود چه غمی که پیدا نمیکنم.
کتاب هر آنچیزی است که باید باشد خنده دار، گریه آور، مسخره، دیوانگی محض که رفتند سر قبر خالی و دوست داشتنی ترین چیزی که چند وقت گذاشته بعد از فیلم رما بهم چسبید.{ میدانم مقایسه ی رما کوآرون با بی نهایت بلند و به غایت نزدیک کاری بیهوده و دور از ذهن است ولی شخصیت های آن فیلم و کاراکتر های این کتاب قبل از هرچیز دیگری قابل درک اند. }
جاناتان سفران فوئز : نویسنده

من آنا را برای آخرین بار می بوسیدم، خانواده ام را برای آخرین بار می دیدم، برای آخرین بار حرف میزدم، چرا یاد نمیگرفتم با همه چیز جوری برخورد کنم که انگار آخرین بارم است. بزرگترین افسوسم این بود که چه قدر به آینده اعتقاد داشتم.

فقط به این فکر می کردم که چطور همه ی این ها اسم های آدم های مرده هستند و چه طور اسم ها اساسا تنها چیزی هستند که مرده ها نگه می دارند.
از متن کتاب

کتاب روایتگر زندگی پسری نه ساله (اسکار) و خونوادشه که پدرش رو در حمله تروریستی یازدهم سپتامبر از دست داده.
اسکار خلاق و باهوش داستان عاشق حل معماها و پیدا کردن جواب سوالاته. بعد اون واقعه ذهن جستجوگرش سعی در پایین آوردن درصد خطاها داره با فکر کردن به اختراعاتی گاها عجیب که زندگی رو آسون و جون انسانها رو حفظ کنه. برخورد اتفاقیش با یک کلید و یک اسم،معمایی رو براش ایجاد میکنه که تلاشش در جهت حل این معما، داستان اصلی رو شکل میده.اما اسکار تنها راوی این کتاب نیست. مادربزرگ و پدربزرگش راوی های بعدی هستن که با توصیف زندگیشون در گذشته، جنبه ها و لایه های جدیدی به داستان اضافه میکنن.
فوئراز نمایی نزدیک به تشریح حال افرادی میپردازه که قربانی اصلی جنگ ها و دشمنی ها هستن. از تقابل روحیشون با فقدان عزیزی از دست رفته و تلاششون برای دست یابی به آرامشی میگه که انگار برای همیشه نیست شده. و چه بیان منسجم و تاثیرگذاری داره در طرح داستان.شخصیت های دوست داشتنی کتاب شدیدا ملموسن و قابل درک و همراهت میکنن تا شنونده ی زندگیشون شی.
از دیگر نکات جالب این کتاب، تایپوگرافی متفاوت و جذابشه که خوندن این کتاب رو لذت بخش ترم میکنه .

Много ми хареса :) Отивам да гледам филма.

Çok farklı, dinamik ve eğlenceli bir okuma sunuyor Foer. Çok farklı beklentilerle elime aldığımdan senenin en sürprizli okuması oldu benim için. 2000'ler Amerikan edebiyatında öne çıkan, içerikten ziyade biçimin önem arz ettiği; temelde bir hikayenin anlatıldığı ama anlatılırken değişik yöntemlere başvurulan o romanlardan biri 'Aşırı Gürültü ve İnanılmaz Yakın'. Ama bayağı kaliteli bir örneği, onu söyleyeyim. Sinematografik bir kurgusu var. Tıpkı 'Köpekbalığı Metinleri'nde gördüğümüz o debdebeli kurgu hamleleri çok daha dozunda ve etkileyici uygulanmış. Metini destekleyen fotoğraflar, hikayenin ritmine göre ezilip bükülen harfler, sayfaya gelişigüzel yayılmış cümleler... Hiçbiri bende yabancılaşma yaratmadı. Gerçekten de kitabı elimden bırakmadan okumamı sağlayan ana etken oldular.

11 Eylül Saldırıları çoğumuz için ABD'de, Dünya Ticaret Merkezi'ne uçakla yapılan, El-Kaide'nin üstlendiği bir terör saldırısıdır. Hepimiz bir şekilde videosunu izlemiş, fotoğraflarını görmüşüzdür. Ancak uçakların çarptıkları süreden gökdelenlerin tamamen yıkıldığı süreye kadar o binadaki insanların ne yaşadığını çoğumuz düşünmemişizdir. Nasıl öldüler, neler hissettiler, neler yaşadılar? Foer, bunu hiç karşılaşmadığımız, sadece telefona bıraktığı mesajlarını bildiğimiz bir karakter aracılığıyla çok iyi aktarmış. 11 Eylül gölgesindeki hikayesini anlatan yazar diğer yandan bizi 1945 Dresden'ine götürüp, bombaların içine, yanan şehrin ortasına bırakıyor. Savaşı, terörü, ölmeyi, öldürmeyi yakından izlemiş herkesi etkileyecek bir hikaye anlatıyor. En başta eğlenceli bir okuma sunduğunu söylemiştim. Biçimsel açıdan ne kadar eğlenceli bir okuma sunuyorsa içerik açısında da o kadar üzücü bir okuma sunuyor.

Amerikan edebiyatına güvensizliği olanlardan olabilirsiniz, yine de şans verin bence.

İyi okumalar!

8/10

عالی

Povestea lui Oskar, un băiețel de 10 ani care și-a pierdut tatăl în atentatul din 9/11 și care se agață cu disperare de amintirea lui. E impresionantă încercarea lui de a găsi încuietoarea pe care cheia găsită între lucrurile tatălui său ar putea să o deschidă dar mai ales lupta lui pentru a-l păstra pe tatăl lui viu în minte și suflet. E modul unui copil, și nu numai, de a face față suferinței umplându-si timpul cu ceva care să îl țină ocupat.
Mi-a plăcut mult.

"A great game that Dad and I would sometimes play on Sundays was Reconnaissance Expedition. ...For the last one we ever did, which never finished, he gave me a map of Central Park. I said, 'And?' And he said, 'And what?' I said, 'Where are the clues?' He said, 'Who said there had to be clues?' 'There are always clues.' 'That doesn't, in itself, suggest anything.' 'Not a single clue?' He said, 'Unless no clue is a clue.' 'Is no clues a clue?' He shrugged his shoulders, like he had no idea what I was talking about. I loved that."

Months after nine-year-old Oskar Schell's father dies in the World Trade Center attack, Oskar finds a vase on a shelf in his father's closet. Inside the vase is an envelope with "Black" written on it, and inside the envelope is a key. Oskar decides that he has to go on this last mission of his father's and find the lock that the key fits. He does this by attempting to visit every single person in New York City with the last name Black and asking them if they knew his father. There are other mysteries in play, too - some for Oskar, and some for the reader: who wrote "Thomas Schell" all over an art supply store a full year after Oskar's father died? What is the identity of the mysterious "renter" who lives with Oskar's grandmother and is never seen? And, most important to the reader, what was recorded on the five phone messages that Oskar's dad sent as the towers were being attacked?
The mysteries are compelling, and serve as a distraction (both for Oskar and the reader) from the crushing, overwhelming sadness and grief that surrounds this story which is, at its core, the story of a family coping with the unexpected death of a loved one.

I don't care if I was suckered in by this emotional story; it worked, dammit. Everything was beautiful and exciting and tense and so, so, incredibly sad that I wanted to stop reading at times. I loved the mysteries, too (although the main mystery is dragged out thanks to a circumstance that's so unlikely and only serves to draw out the story that I can't condone it), and I'm happy to report that yes, Safran Foer does us all a solid and lets his child protagonist actually solve the mystery he sets out the solve at the beginning of the story, unlike some authors I could name. (I'm looking at you, Donna Tartt. You know what you did.)

The book was, all in all, powerful and gripping, and now I have to take time to speak directly to the author.

Dear Mr. Safran Foer,

First, you are awesome. You write wonderfully, and judging by this book's jacket photo are much cuter than a brilliant author has any right to be. I want you to keep coming out with wonderful books like this, and I have only two requests.

1) Find a new story to tell. Let's try a game: I'm going to summarize one of your books, and you have to guess which one.

A son goes on a long odyssey to a strange place to discover the truth about his grandfather. He has almost nothing to go on, but accompanied by unlikely guides he manages to find the truth by interviewing various strangers who are altogether much more open to a perfect stranger than they probably should be. The story is narrated partially by someone with a very funny way of speaking, and partially by someone reflecting on the past. The flashbacks, told in non-linear style, describe the romance between two people that was disrupted by a tragedy caused by World War Two. Books and words have great importance in the flashbacks, and there's a character with unusual methods of record-keeping.

Did you guess? I was describing Everything Is Illuminated. You can tell because in that one, the son is looking for the truth about his grandfather. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the son finds out the truth about his grandfather and his father.

Your writing is good. It's really, really good. I'd just like to read about something different now.

2) I'm going to say this as clearly as possible: for the love of God, start. A new. Paragraph. Every. Time. A New. Character. Speaks.

I read fast, and I have enough trouble following which character is speaking when the author uses paragraph breaks and doesn't identify who's speaking. When you put all the dialogue in one long paragraph it all blends together and pretty soon I have no idea who is saying what and it makes things difficult. I get that you are making a stylistic choice, but when it interferes with the telling of your story, enough is enough. For fuck's sake.

De gustibus

In cucina amo le cose semplici, i piatti basici ben amalgamati, ma poco elaborati. Detesto vengano 'inquinati' con carichi eccessivi di ingredienti o salsine che tolgono il sapore originario della sostanza, sapore che devo sentire forte e chiaro e in maniera ineccepibile.

Pasta aglio olio e peperoncino, spaghetti coi pomodorini, pizza margherita, o pizza bianca con due olivine, per fare qualche esempio. Nulla per me è più gustoso di pane e salame (rigorosamente di Felino, paese del parmense, preciso che non mi cibo di gatti). Lo stesso dicasi coi dolci, se deve essere tiramisù che sia, ma che sia fatto nel modo più semplice possibile, senza carichi eccessivi di cioccolato e di altri ingredienti (amaretti o altre aggiunte strane che gravano stuprandone il sapore originale) che rendono poi pesante la digestione.

Tutto 'sto "pippone" culinario per dire che il libro di Foer mi è risultato indigesto, pesante da digerire. Troppo pieno di ingredienti, tutti con lo stesso sapore, tutti facenti leva sulla medesima papilla gustativa. Tanto greve da risultare stucchevole.

No he quedado defraudado tras las grandes referencias que tenía sobre esta novela y sobre su autor. Es una historia dolorosa y a la vez hermosa la que cuenta, habla de la pérdida y del dolor desde el punto de vista de un niño. Del sentimiento de culpabilidad tras un siniestro y de la dificultad de sobreponerse al duelo.

El protagonista es un niño extremadamente inteligente e imaginativo, este Oskar, salvando las distancias y sin querer comparlos, por momentos me recordó al Oscar de El tambor de hojalata, por lo inteligente y el componente de adulto que tienen ambos, sin embargo este Oskar se hace querer mucho más que el de Grass, que tenía un punto siniestro, tal vez los asocié simplemente por el nombre, no lo tengo claro.

Me ha parecido una historia hermosa, por momentos un poco alegórica y con ciertas licencias literarias. Está bien contada y para nada se hace larga. Casi al terminar comencé a dudar un poco de que S. Foer no estuviera alargando de forma artificial la historia, haciendo que tambien perdiera veracidad, pero me confundía, al final la historia te hace entender el sentido amplio de la narración y todo encaja.

No será el último que lea de este escritor.

Sunt fascinată de această carte, plină de emoție, presărată cu mister și intrigă.
Scriitura e una cu totul specială, iar călătoria prin care Oskar se maturizează e captivantă, te ține cu sufletul la gură.

“Why didn't I learn to treat everything like it was the last time. My greatest regret was how much I believed in the future.”

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”

“I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love.”