Nine-year-old Oscar Schell has nothing in common with his peers. He is multi-talented and versatile: inventor, amateur entomologist, pacifist, letter writer, percussionist, skilled origami craftsman, detective, and vegetarian. When his father is killed in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Oscar embarks on a journey through the five boroughs of New York City, aiming to solve the mystery behind the key he discovers in his father's closet. Through this quest, Oscar will come into contact with various people and get to know, even for a little while, their lives. He will also explore the trauma of September 11 through the bombings of Dresden and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, leading him to a personal journey that will bring him closer to the peace and tranquility he so desperately seeks... "Explosive, puzzling, but above all, extremely moving. A rare achievement." SALMAN RUSHDIE "Funny, intelligent, refreshing." ESQUIRE "Serious, comic, and yet painfully heartbreaking." HERALD "A work of genius. It will overwhelm you." THE TIMES