Five Days of Books::2

This is another book I've recently read (thanks to my friend Jacquelyn).  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer tells the story of a nine year old boy named Oskar Schell and his "heavy boots".  You see, Oskar lost his father in the September 11th World Trade Center attack and even though a few years have gone by, he is still dealing with the incredibly sad loss.  Oskar is an extremely bright little boy who likes to invent things, walk with his tambourine, make jewelry, and loves his mom and grandma very much.  One day Oskar finds a blue vase in his parents' bedroom that doesn't look familiar to him.  As he reaches for it, the vase breaks revealing a skeleton key and a piece of paper on which the word "Black" is written.  Oskar is sure that this key is a clue his father has left for him, and so Oskar embarks on an adventure to meet everyone in New York City with the last name  of "Black".  He is positive that one of these people might have known his father or provide information about his father that Oskar doesn't already know.  Along the way Oskar meets a variety of interesting people and in his searching he feels close to his father.  It gives him something to do-- to work toward.  As a side story, we are introduced to Oskar's paternal grandfather through a variety of journal entries and flashbacks that in the end mesh together with Oskar's story.  At times this book made me laugh, cry and sometimes feel like I had to read the page again because of the interesting way in which it is written.  It was like I too was looking for clues about Oskar's dad.  Oskar is an endearing character who like my own children I wanted to jump into the book and spank him and at other times hug him and tell him everything will be okay.  Will Oskar discover the "Black" mystery?  And will he be able to find some healing for his hurting heart?  I would definitely recommend this book to find out.