the second of the Twin Towers, but not before calling home several times and leaving messages on the answering machine. The family buried an empty coffin. Two years later, nine-year-old Oskar has developed coping mechanisms that include avoiding elevators, subways, and boats, playing a tambourine to soothe his nerves, and inventing in his mind rescue devices such as the birdseed shirt. One day, Oskar finds a key in a blue vase at the back of his father's closet, untouched since the worst day, as he…
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