Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Heart breaking, Quirky, Hilarious

Fiction
Drama (now a major motion picture)

Plot Preview

Personal Response
Don't be fooled by the story's plot summary as it is incredibly misleading. The summary makes it seem as though it is a story about a cute little boy, whose father died, and has found a key and set out on an adventure to find what it unlocks. While this is the the premise of the book, there is so much more to it than that. Instead,  it's a depressing story about a hurting boy who doesn't know how to deal with his problems. Along with that, we get an inside look into his family's rocky and dysfunctional past.
Despite the book's heartbreaking storyline there are countless moments of hilarity. Oskar is an intelligent boy but often surprises you by his childishness. The way he talks to people is absolutely awkward and adorable, and you grow to love him.
All that aside, I really didn't like the book very much. As I said before, it was incredibly depressing with no hope for anything getting better.