Monday, July 25, 2005

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together

I remember commenting on Lots of Co. that when I finished Ian McEwan's Saturday, I wanted to start again immediately. Well, I just finished Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jon Foer. I don't want to start it again. Make no mistake, it was wonderful, but it was also incredibly sad. I've read a few things that have been framed around the tragedy of 9/11, but this was the most poignant and beautiful. I think the book has been praised generally, but some have written that it's mawkish and manipulative and in company with the likes of Tuesdays With Morrie. What the fuck do I know from literature, but I couldn't disagree more. It did make me laugh and cry, but I never felt used. You know, the used feeling you're going to experience at least once in every Spielberg movie? Never here. It all felt true. Oskar Schell is the child narrator for a good portion of the book and in my opinion he can join the ranks of some of the great ones that came before him. He's precocious, I'll admit, but never precious. He pulls you in for a ride around the five (or six?) burroughs, some days with heavy boots, some days with light, but every day worth the trip. I would love to hear what anyone else thought of this, even if you wanna call me maudlin or a pussy. Or if you just want to explain the themes to me, I'd also like to hear from you then.
Goo goo g’joob

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

"You know, the used feeling you're going to experience at least once in every Spielberg movie?"

And that is why I tell my students that I will NEVER watch E.T. again--it had about 100 of those feelings, I think. Good call.

Dare I read the Foer book? Gawker made such fun of it!

Michael said...

Dare, Max, dare (!), if only to explain the themes to me after.
Yeah, you directed me to the Gawker folk who mock the Foer, but I am standing firm, unshaken by the scorn of the blogerati. Loved it.

Speaking of child narrators, did you ever read "Peace Like A River" by Leif Enger? I mention it now because I loved that as well and it might allow you to give more accurate weight to my recommendations. Come to think of it, PLAR is just about a perfect summer read.

freakgirl said...

I loved the book. I cried a lot, but I never felt manipulated by it. I felt it was very honest, and I adored Oskar. He was a perfectly written kid, sweet and precocious, yet naive and annoying at the same time.

I spent an entire afternoon dreaming about Wes Anderson could do with a screenplay of it.

Michael said...

"I spent an entire afternoon dreaming about Wes Anderson could do with a screenplay of it."

Yes, yes yes!

freakgirl said...

Let's start the letter-writing campaign. :)

Anonymous said...

Have you read Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night?

It has a young narrator too. Good book, very similar.

Michael said...

I picked it up and read the jacket at least three times at B&N, Michelle, but haven't read it. Good, huh? I'll have to check it out. For now, I'm just a few pages into "The Kite Runner".