July Discussion - Book - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

For the month of July, we will be reading the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It is a 300-pager, but I started reading it this evening and the energy and humor of the book makes it a fast-paced, fun summer read. I can't wait till our next meetup!

Oprah says: "A funny, wise, deeply compassionate novel that will renew readers' faith that the right book at the right time still has the power to change the world."

Jonathan Safran Foer emerged as one of the most original writers of his generation with his best-selling debut novel, Everything is Illuminated. Now, with humor, tenderness, and awe, he confronts the traumas of our recent history. Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five burroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts of an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

For the book, Foer was awarded the American Place Theatre's Literature to Life Award.

See you all July 29th at 6:30pm at the Off the Border Mexican Grill!

The Discussion Questions:

The Book

1. What is the significance of the title? Where does the title originate in the text of the book?

2. What is your opinion on the writing style of the author? How would you describe the style to a friend who was interested in reading the book?

3. What did you think about the way the author used words on the page? Some pages, for example, had nothing more than a single line of text. Others had the text crowded and overlapping. Did this add to the meaning of the book for you? Distract you? Why?

4. What did the various photographs in the book mean:
* Pictures of doorknobs. Is there a pattern?
* The falling man in the book? The flip-book at the end?
* The writing samples from the pen store?
* The cover of the book of the hand with writing on it?

5. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center are a source for strong emotions. How did you feel when reading this book? What 9/11 related scenes or images are most important to you?

The Characters & The Plot

Oskar and his Quest

1. What did you think about the main character, Oskar? How would you describe Oskar to a friend? Could you imagine meeting him in real life and, if so, what would you expect him to say or do?

2. How did you relate to him as he pursued his quest?

3. What was the effect of Oskar on the people he met on his quest? How did the people change as a result of meeting Oskar?

4. How was Oskar’s mother involved in his quest?

The Grandparents

1. How did the storyline of the grandparents compliment the story of Oskar and his quest?

2. Describe how you felt about each of the grandparents. How did you feel about their relationship?

3. Compare Oskar and his reaction to tragedy to the reaction of each grandparent to tragedy. How did each character react to the terrible and violent loss in their lives?

4. Why do you think the author introduced the Dresden plotline of the grandparents into a book that involves the attack on the World Trade Center?

Symbolism and So On

1. What is the meaning of Oskar’s various inventions? Is there a pattern to them?

2. What makes the key such a powerful symbol in the book? What does the key open, besides the obvious physical lock we learn about near the end of the book? Is there meaning to the fact that we never learn what the key protects in reality?

3. Writing is a powerful image that appears in many forms in the book. Letters, letter writing, journals, writing samples and even tattoos make appearances. Why is writing such a powerful thing in the world the author created? What does each instance of the writing do for/to the characters?

4. What do you think the ’something’ and ‘nothing’ of the grandparents’ apartment is meant to represent? How does this fit into the larger storyline of the book, of dealing with loss, of dealing with grief?

5. Are there any common themes that run through the storyline and the symbols found in this book? Grief and loss have been mentioned here already. What about the ability of people to connect with each other? The ability to heal? The ability to make meaning from tragedy? Maybe none of these