Extrem laut und unglaublich nah

After his father dies on September 11, nine-year-old Oskar Schell discovers a key in a vase and an envelope marked "Black". He sets out through the five boroughs to find what the key opens, meeting strangers named Black and telling them about himself. Interleaved are letters between his grandparents, who survived the firebombing of Dresden. Jonathan Safran Foer makes it visual too, with photographs, red-penned pages and stretches of crowded text.

An inventive narrator and a mix of comedy with grief define the reading experience. It rewards readers who tolerate some typographical games and are ready to be moved at the end.

Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?