The Book of Form and Emptiness

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Ozeki, Ruth, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Ozeki, Ruth
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

"A brilliantly inventive new novel about loss, growing up, and our relationship with things, by the Booker Prize-finalist author of A Tale for the Time Being After the tragic death his beloved musician father, fourteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices. The voices belong to the things in his house-a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Although Benny doesn't understand what these things are saying, he can sense their emotional tone; some are pleasant, a gentle hum or coo, but others are snide, angry and full of pain. When his mother, Annabelle, develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous. At first, Benny tries to ignore them, but soon the voices follow him outside the house, onto the street and at school, driving him at last to seek refuge in the silence of a large public library, where objects are well-behaved and know to speak in whispers. There, Benny discovers a strange new world, where "things happen." He falls in love with a mesmerizing street artist with a smug pet ferret, who uses the library as her performance space. He meets a homeless philosopher-poet, who encourages him to ask important questions and find his own voice amongst the many. And he meets his very own Book-a talking thing-who narrates Benny's life and teaches him to listen to the things that truly matter. With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions, The Book of Form and Emptiness is classic Ruth Ozeki-bold, wise, poignant, playful, humane and heartbreaking"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Probably different from other books you've read, but so, so good! submitted by TeacherN on June 15, 2022, 5:41pm I absolutely loved this book! It got me thinking about so many different things - and even organizing my stuff! (Can you believe I had never heard of Marie Kondo??) I don't, however, recommend the audio version. The voice actor is not good with women's and children's voices and the two main characters are a boy and his mother.

I adore Ozeki and this didn't disappoint submitted by michl8705 on August 5, 2022, 8:34pm I feel in love with A Tale for the Time Being and this one was also deliciously good. Ozeki is a GOOD writer. Her descriptions and passages will make you totally escape. This particular book I actually liked slightly less than Time Being because it took a bit to get into, but once you're there, you won't be able to put it down.