Alive and Alone Summary

After six months of searching, Mr. Black announces he is finished. Running up Grandma's stairs, Grandma does not answer, Oskar invents many horrible deaths for her. He searches the apartment, and finds hundreds of letters tied in bundles, postmarked chronologically from May 31, 1963 to the worst day, all from Dresden and addressed "To my unborn child" or "To my child." The envelopes are empty. He says aloud that he needs Grandma and the "renter" opens his door. The man resembles Oskar's dad in many ways. Oskar pretends Thomas is Grandma and tells his story from the tuxedo, broken vase, key, locksmith, envelope, art supply story, and all the various Blacks. Oddly, Ruth Black's address is on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, which makes Oskar panicky, but he goes up, inventing things to rescue him during an elevator...