Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is Jonathan Safran Foer's second novel, published in 2005. The novel was highly anticipated, as Foer's 2002 debut, Everything is Illuminated, was met with much critical acclaim.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close follows a precocious and sensitive nine-year-old named Oskar Schell, who is grappling with grief over his father's death in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001. Oskar's story intersects with the stories of his paternal grandparents, who recount their attempts to heal after living through the bombing of Dresden, Germany. The novel's main narrative revolves around Oskar's quest for the origin of a key...