Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Since I enjoyed Everything Is Illuminated so much I decided to read Foer's other novel as well. This one is newer and takes place in America. The story is about a young boy living in New York in 2003 whose father died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He and his father always played little games with each other, and after his father is dead, Oskar, the boy, discovers a small key in an envelope that says "Black" on it in red pen. Assuming this is a clue to a new game, Oskar goes on a quest to discover what the key opens.

Some of the things that I really enjoy about Foer's writing are the unique, three dimensional characters who each tell their story with a different voice, and the variety of media he includes in his books. This one especially has many interesting things to break up the monotony of prose. There are pictures that Oskar is collecting throughout the novel, letters he receives from people he sent letters to, as well as various stylistic aspects of other characters.
I like how this book is mostly from the perspective of a young boy. Even though the character isn't one hundred percent believable, you can see his innocence and naivety through his reactions to events and experiences. He's constantly eager to learn more and meet new people.

I think that this novel is easier to understand than Everything Is Illuminated. Maybe it's because its from a younger point of view, or maybe its because Foer had more experience when he wrote this book so he knew how to make it clearer for the reader. Already I have way fewer questions about the plot than I did with the Everything Is Illuminated. We'll just have to see if this clarity continues till the end.