I appreciate books I can return to. Reading a familiar story can feel like coming home-like being in a place where you are known. This is the heartbreaking story of a boy searching for meaning in a senseless tragedy, and of the striking purity of the love that binds a family together. Oskar Schell's father died during the 9/11 attacks. One afternoon while looking through his late father's belongings, Oskar finds a key, and sets off to locate its owner. Through his journey, we see the resiliency of hope in spite of unforgiving truths, and find a richly interwoven history of loss and survival. For anyone who's lost something irreplaceable, and for those who believe love can endure in a world at war, Foer's unexpectedly charming book rings true. I loved this story, its characters, and the place I'll return to when I, undoubtedly, pick it up again.
Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a black key his father left behind.