This book was read for the Rory Challenge
Synopsis (from Amazon)
Review
“I used to think that humor was the only way to appreciate how wonderful and terrible the world is, to celebrate how big life is. But now I think the opposite. Humor is a way of shrinking from that wonderful and terrible world.”
I really loved this book. It was somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, immensely funny and immensely sad. Some sections had me laughing out loud (especially the sections ‘written’ by Alex). The way Alex used language was part of it, it was so wonderfully strange. Some of it was also what he talked about. Everything is Illuminated in incredibly quotable because of this. In parts the writing was beautiful, in other parts it bordered on crude but somehow these changes in style seemed to fit what was going on.
I loved Alex’s sections almost instantly, it took me a little longer to get into Johnathan’s story, although by the end it all just ran together. It seemed strange to have the author as a character, it gave the story a reality and makes me wonder how much is based on reality.
I really think Safran Foer could become a new favourite author
5/5