I have to admit Foer's unique writing style, in this book, was both effective and creative. He uses an almost streaming consciousness, flowing writing to portray Oskar's (a 10-year old genius, yet emotionally traumatized, boy) thoughts and takes on conversations he is having with others. There are sections of the book that use different fonts, or have no words at all, simply to relate more about the characters. He also effectively uses multiple narrators and intertwining story lines to evoke emotions, from his readers.

However, the tale itself ended without resolution. That never sits well with me. It left me wondering what really was the purpose of the book? Was it to draw parallels between the horrors of Dresden and 9/11? Was it to personalize the attacks on the World Trade Center? Or, was it a commentary on familial mental illness? All of these would've have been interesting underlying messages; yet, without any real closure, to the book, it leaves the reader almost with the feeling of "So what?".

At times, Foer's writing is darkly beautiful. At other times, I questioned the "realness of his characters" - an apathetic mother and a child genius. But, despite this difficulty, I could have really loved this book, had Foer only decided to finish it.