Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweller, detective, vegan, and collector of butterflies. When his father is killed in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of a key he discovers in his father's closet. It is a search which leads him into the lives of strangers, through the five boroughs of New York, into history, to the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima, and on an inward journey which brings him ever closer to some kind of peace.
Wow, this one was heart wrenching and amazing. I lost count of the time my eyes filled with tears! The writing is beautiful, the storylines heartbreaking. The author uses various visual techniques that includes photographs, diagrams, blank pages etc. that creates a true intensity to the story. I really don't know what else to say other then I think this should be on everyone's *must read* list!
