Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is many things--and precocious is definitely one of them. His father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and you will grieve with Oskar as he wanders New York searching for the lock that fits the key he found in his father's closet. This book is about Oskar's search for peace, his efforts to stay close to his father, and his fight to keep hold of his memories. Foer's writing style isn't for everyone, and Oskar is sometimes too brilliant to believe, but the handling of memory and grief here is both creative and sensitive.