Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has been known as a high-concept visual kicker and a sensational book-club conversation starter.  Besides containing a wealth of photos and drawings, the author is able to capture the attention of readers through his words.  

The hero and narrator is a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell.  Oskar discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th.  Grief-stricken and seemingly unattended by his working mom, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of the key.  The intelligence, curiosity, fears and insights that Oskar gains on his quest throughout the five boroughs of New York are both heartwarming and heartbreaking.