Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Safran Foer’s bestseller follows the adventures of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, a scientist, collector, tambourine player, and solver of puzzles. The young boy roams New York City in a fervent search for a lock that will match the key left behind by his father, who was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11. Jeff Woodman captures all of Oskar’s contradictions: a prodigy who understands physics and lives in terror of the immediate world around him. Richard Ferrone provides Oskar’s grandfather a gravelly voice, while Barbara Caruso deftly renders Oskar’s grandmother, lending her a slight European accent and the right mix of wisdom and helplessness. This fine ensemble recording will keep listeners engaged. A Mariner paperback. (Dec.)