Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs 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 on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey (goodreads).

Where do I begin? Seriously, if any of you have read this novel, you know exactly what I mean. I don't know for sure what I expected when I picked up this book, but it sure wasn't what I got. Usually, I go through and underline the phrases that I like, things that catch my attention a certain way. I didn't even bother to do that. If I would have, whole pages would have been highlighted and marked up!
It isn't a quick read, but I was sad when I was done. It was so creatively done, so intriguing. It always had my attention. It's a serious book, not much humor involved. But that's a nice change.

This book isn't young adult, so I don't recommend it to you if you're looking for some light fluff to read poolside. But it will get you thinking and it will captivate you. Jonathan Safran Foer is a genius.