The Book of Form and Emptiness
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- Create Date：2022-06-17 07:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ruth Ozeki
- ISBN：0399563660
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Summary
"No one writes like Ruth Ozeki--a triumph。" --Matt Haig， New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library
"Inventive， vivid， and propelled by a sense of wonder。" --TIME
"If you've lost your way with fiction over the last year or two， let The Book of Form and Emptiness light your way home。" --David Mitchell， Booker Prize-finalist author of Cloud Atlas
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
A boy who hears the voices of objects all around him; a mother drowning in her possessions; and a Book that might hold the secret to saving them both--the brilliantly inventive new novel from the Booker Prize-finalist Ruth Ozeki
One year after the death of his beloved musician father， thirteen-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。 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。
"Inventive， vivid， and propelled by a sense of wonder。" --TIME
"If you've lost your way with fiction over the last year or two， let The Book of Form and Emptiness light your way home。" --David Mitchell， Booker Prize-finalist author of Cloud Atlas
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
A boy who hears the voices of objects all around him; a mother drowning in her possessions; and a Book that might hold the secret to saving them both--the brilliantly inventive new novel from the Booker Prize-finalist Ruth Ozeki
One year after the death of his beloved musician father， thirteen-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。 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。
Reviews
Roy Kenagy
，
DMPL EBOOK HOLD PLACED。 Women's Prize for Fiction 2022 DMPL EBOOK HOLD PLACED。 Women's Prize for Fiction 2022 。。。more
Jillwilson
，
Several years ago I had to help my family dispose of ninety years of stuff accumulated by my father。 He had a lifetime’s worth of books （and the collection of his parents as well）。 He had home interior magazines from the 1950s and 60s。 He had old TVs that no longer worked， and couches that no one would ever sit on again。 Like Annabelle in this novel， my father was something of a hoarder – and I have a little bit of this in me。 It’s hard to throw things out。 They might be useful one day。 It’s was Several years ago I had to help my family dispose of ninety years of stuff accumulated by my father。 He had a lifetime’s worth of books （and the collection of his parents as well）。 He had home interior magazines from the 1950s and 60s。 He had old TVs that no longer worked， and couches that no one would ever sit on again。 Like Annabelle in this novel， my father was something of a hoarder – and I have a little bit of this in me。 It’s hard to throw things out。 They might be useful one day。 It’s wasteful。 What have they done wrong – to end up in a dumpster？ These thoughts burdened me for about half of the first day of work。 But there was so much stuff in my father's house – and it was so oppressive – that in the end， I was chucking books away like confetti。 The hardest things were photos – but I threw out many where we could recognise no one in the photos。 They had lost all meaning for us。 This is a story about Benny， a Japanese-American boy。 His father has died – run over by a truck in a laneway。 Benny lives with his mum Annabelle in a North-western American city。 They are lonely and a bit isolated -and traumatised by the loss of Kenji。 They are outliers。 There is a poignancy to their situation。 On top of this， Benny has just started hearing voices。 They emanate from odd things – the glass in the window （actually the sand that made the glass）， a broken Christmas-tree ornament， a shoe， a wilting lettuce leaf。 Here’s a passage from the novel: “Shh。 Listen。 That's my book， and it's talking to you。 Can you hear it？ It's OK if you can't though。 It's not your fault。 Things speak all the time。 But if your ears aren't attuned， you have to learn to listen。 You can start by using your eyes because eyes are easy。 Look at all the things around you。 What do you see？ A book， obviously。 And obviously， the book is speaking to you。 So try something more challenging - the chair you're sitting on， the pencil in your pocket， the sneaker on your foot。 Still can't hear？ Then get down on your knees and put your head to the seat。 Or take off your shoe and hold it to your ear。 No， wait。 If there's people around， they'll think you're mad。 So try it with the pencil first。 Pencils have stories inside them。 And they're safe as long as you don't stick the point in your ear。 Just hold it next to your head and listen。 Can you hear the wood whisper？ The ghost of the pine？ The mutter of lead？”In addition – most of the novel is related by “a Book” - a self-aware entity consisting of paper， glue， and ink that positions itself as the chronicler of Benny’s tale with occasional interjections by Benny when he thinks that the Book has overstepped and over-shared information。It sounds a bit nutty – the idea of objects speaking but it really works。 As children， we would have accepted that non-animate items could speak – we would have accepted and delighted in this capacity in stories – so why not now？ Ozeki is playing with so many ideas in this novel。 One of these is the way in which we treat mental illness。 So in a literal reading of the plot， Benny is hearing voices and not coping with school life – so part of the novel is an exploration of that。 The question of what is real， first prompted by the voices he hears， echoes through the novel。 The character of Benny is quite beguiling though – so we are with him through the story， even when he might be seen by the outside world as being in some significant psychological stress。In an interview， Ozeki said that she had a nervous breakdown in her junior year and was sent to a psychiatric ward — this was inspiration for Benny’s experiences in the novel。 She conveys a very explicit sense of what it’s like to hear voices。 “It didn’t mean to kill the bird，” Benny explains to the principal of his junior high school after an incident in which a sparrow crashes into the plate glass window of his classroom。 “It used to be sand。… It remembers being sand。 It remembers the birds， the way their feet felt， walking。 Making little tracks。 It never wanted to be glass。 It never wanted to be sneakily transparent。 It likes birds， likes watching them from the window， so it was crying。” Very hard to manage junior high when you have no mates and this kind of thing is going on in your head。The book moves from the micro to the macro with a focus on the materialism of Western culture。 Part of this is achieved through Benny’s experiences: “The minute I walk through the door of a Starbucks， the overhead fluorescent fixtures start buzzing with this anxiety of meaning， and the coffee beans start screaming， and I’m literally assaulted by the pain of paper cups and plastic straws。” But Annabelle is also captivated by objects and unable to throw anything out。 She sublimates her personal pain （the death of her husband） by buying things。 I was going to type “that she does not need” but she gets joy out of buyng a yellow teapot or a craft kit that part of her knows she will never use。 She is also literally （almost） buried in news and world events because she works for a media monitor company who bombard her initially with newspapers and video tapes and then with stacks of computer equipment which invades her home and personal space。 There are lots of metaphors and analogies in this book and a kind of playfulness that I can't really convey in this review。Ozeki also creates a character who is a Buddhist nun who sweeps the world with a Marie Kondo type philosophy encapsulated in a book which Annabelle tries to follow。 And Benny is befriended by people living on the outskirts of society。 “One is a street kid named Alice—or the Aleph， as she prefers to be known， a reference to the 1945 story by Jorge Luis Borges。 Another is Slavoj， the Bottleman （modeled， one imagines， on Slavoj Žižek）， an Eastern European poet who squats in an abandoned factory while spouting verse and philosophy。” （https://www。altaonline。com/books/fict。。。）They all find refuge in a library – which sort of takes me back to the pile of my father’s books that I threw out。 Like him， I find refuge in books。 And libraries， as we know from personal experience and from Susan Orlean’s great book about the Los Angeles Public Library。 A lot of this book explore where we find comfort – and meaning – and solace。 And there is a sharp contrast - the regular means of caring for someone （the hospital， mental health and education systems） do not take great care of Benny despite best intentions。 The violence that Benny experiences in many parts of his life is offset by the genuine relationships he develops through the novel。Apparently， the titular phrase “recalls a Buddhist temple chant Nao records in A Tale for a Time Being。 She writes， “Shiki fu I ku， ku fu I shiki” or “Form is emptiness and emptiness is form。” Her exposition defines the hymn as “[n]othing in the world is solid or real， because nothing is permanent， and all things—including trees and animals and pebbles and mountains and rivers and even me and you—are just kind of flowing through for the time being。” （https://chireviewofbooks。com/2021/10/。。。） What prevails is the kindness Ozeki extends towards her characters。 One reviewer says: “， the unruliness of The Book of Form and Emptiness feels very much the point of the novel。 As the Book reminds us （and Benny）， our lives are essentially disorganised， non-linear， and tangential stories where even those bits that might seem redundant are still a part of who we are。 Or， to quote the Bottleman who paraphrases Thomas King: “we are ze stories we tell ourselves， Benny-boy。 We meck ourselves up。 We meck each other up， too。” （https://locusmag。com/2021/10/ian-mond。。。） 。。。more
Kristine
，
I just watched the award ceremony live~it was really exciting since all 6 books were announced and the authors all were there and were on stage。 This is the first time I watched an awards show live on Facebook。 Really did not know who would win。 The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki~Winner if the Women’s Prize for Fiction 💖The Other Books Were: 1。 Great Circle， Maggie Shipstead （Read）Review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 if interested。 2。 The Sentence， Louise Endrich 3。 The Bre I just watched the award ceremony live~it was really exciting since all 6 books were announced and the authors all were there and were on stage。 This is the first time I watched an awards show live on Facebook。 Really did not know who would win。 The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki~Winner if the Women’s Prize for Fiction 💖The Other Books Were: 1。 Great Circle， Maggie Shipstead （Read）Review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 if interested。 2。 The Sentence， Louise Endrich 3。 The Bread the Devil Knead， Ali’s Allen Agostini 4。 The Island of Missing Trees， Elif Shafak （Reading）5。 Sorrow and Bliss， Meg Mason （Read）Review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 if interested。 So， pretty incredible competition and fantastic authors。 Pretty excited I have the book and just got the audio 🎧to go with it。 I am looking forward to reading this book。 Have heard great reviews and almost always love the winner of this award。 So， recommend it and hope to enjoy this one。 Now， back to Reading Books 📚 。。。more
Guabi
，
"Blame is just another way of refusing to take responsibility for your life， and when you blame us， you give up your own power and agency。 It makes you into a victim"Excellent read！ "Blame is just another way of refusing to take responsibility for your life， and when you blame us， you give up your own power and agency。 It makes you into a victim"Excellent read！ 。。。more
Sloane Mayberry
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A longer read that was deep into character study。 Ozeki told the story of mother， son and （deceased） father which was full of highs and lows and lots of symbolism along the way。 The perspective of the books as an additional narrator is perhaps what makes this award winning。 I didn't personally enjoy those sections but they were creatively done and added a uniqueness to this novel。 A longer read that was deep into character study。 Ozeki told the story of mother， son and （deceased） father which was full of highs and lows and lots of symbolism along the way。 The perspective of the books as an additional narrator is perhaps what makes this award winning。 I didn't personally enjoy those sections but they were creatively done and added a uniqueness to this novel。 。。。more
Joe Norman
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Disappointed。 The book’s plot was both aimless and predictable。 Every once in a while I’d run across passages that offered a creative insight into how we live our lives only to be disappointed when the writing reverted to form。 The protagonists were drawn very broadly， except for the Jazz musician father， but he gets knocked off pretty early in the narrative。
Jon
，
With The Book of Form and Emptiness， Ruth Ozeki has written one of my favorite contemporary novels。 She weaves together influences including Walter Benjamin’s writing on the power of books， the metafiction of Jorge Luis Borges， Tidying Up with Marie Kondo， and the Zen teachings of Norman Fischer。 In this novel of grief， fourteen-year-old Benny Oh begins hearing the voices of inanimate objects after his father Kenji dies。 His mother， Annabelle， begins hoarding things。 Both characters’ relationshi With The Book of Form and Emptiness， Ruth Ozeki has written one of my favorite contemporary novels。 She weaves together influences including Walter Benjamin’s writing on the power of books， the metafiction of Jorge Luis Borges， Tidying Up with Marie Kondo， and the Zen teachings of Norman Fischer。 In this novel of grief， fourteen-year-old Benny Oh begins hearing the voices of inanimate objects after his father Kenji dies。 His mother， Annabelle， begins hoarding things。 Both characters’ relationships with things represent the consumption habits of Americans， struggling to let go of or hold on to the material objects in our lives。 Different characters interpret Benny as a boy with schizophrenia， a poet or philosopher， and a bodhisattva （Buddha of compassion） who hears the world’s cries of pain; he may be all of these， the novel suggests。 Ozeki masterfully uses point of view， mainly Benny’s and The Book itself， talking to him in the second person， as she traces his journey through the mental health system， refuge in the library， and adventures with a band of outcasts， as well as his mother’s struggles to care for her troubled son。 We also read a book within the book， a self-help manual about tidying up by a Zen Buddhist nun， and Annabelle’s emails to her。 The Book of Form and Emptiness combines rich themes and characters with wit and heart。 It’s a life-affirming novel and a major achievement in contemporary fiction。 。。。more
Camille
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Abandonné p95Je trouve l’histoire ennuyante…
Michelle
，
Simply brilliant！！ Ozeki is a remarkable author who spins a tale of sorrow， unresolved grief， animated objects， mental health issues， loneliness， alienation， addictions in a compassionate， patient and reflective narrative which embraces all complexities and contradictions。 Her novel is filled with philosophical questions， meditations on the interdependence of all beings， the magic of books， and the disastrous ecological and spiritual consequences of unrestrained consumerism。A wonderful novel tha Simply brilliant！！ Ozeki is a remarkable author who spins a tale of sorrow， unresolved grief， animated objects， mental health issues， loneliness， alienation， addictions in a compassionate， patient and reflective narrative which embraces all complexities and contradictions。 Her novel is filled with philosophical questions， meditations on the interdependence of all beings， the magic of books， and the disastrous ecological and spiritual consequences of unrestrained consumerism。A wonderful novel that should be read to be fully enjoyed - nothing I say could ever do it justice。 。。。more
Brenna
，
I’m going to have to ponder this one more， but overall I really enjoyed the journey。 The ending fell a little flat for me， but that might be because I was tired as I was reading。 I appreciated the themes of environmentalism and the need for less stuff。
Kathleen Witte
，
I love my Kindle。 It feels like my access point to the world。 Two clicks and a book is available to me。 My compact little entrance into everything。 The universe in my purse。 A library on my nightstand。 But there is something special about reading about a book about books…as a book。 （Something also special about opening the first hardback you’ve treated yourself to in years and finding the AUTHOR’S REAL AF SIGNATURE。 Yes， Ruth Ozeki signed my book; I had no idea when I bought it， and I’m crying。） I love my Kindle。 It feels like my access point to the world。 Two clicks and a book is available to me。 My compact little entrance into everything。 The universe in my purse。 A library on my nightstand。 But there is something special about reading about a book about books…as a book。 （Something also special about opening the first hardback you’ve treated yourself to in years and finding the AUTHOR’S REAL AF SIGNATURE。 Yes， Ruth Ozeki signed my book; I had no idea when I bought it， and I’m crying。）The Book of Form and Emptiness is mystical， magical， psychological， biological， literary and lovely。 A boy loses his father to a tragic accident， and， watching his mother spiral in her grief， begins hearing voices。 One of those voices is his “book” that’s being written as we read it。 The conceit is the perfect way to break up a long novel that has its tough moments。 Truly touching overall。 Plus， I was introduced to an entire population I did not know existed: people who hear voices and are not， they would say， chronically ill–it’s simply part of how they experience the world。 Overall， exactly the Ozeki I came looking for。 Plus a SIGNATURE。 。。。more
Lexi
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3。5
Kelsey
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4-4。5 stars。Felt like The Goldfinch （in the sense of growing up themes and length-wise） with some The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close （deceased father， grieving mother）。 Really enjoyed the writing。 Some parts did feel a little pushy with the Zen Buddhism themes and the different POV felt awkward sometimes because it was meant to be like （view spoiler）[a dialogue between protagonist and "The Book" but also wasn't？？ （hide spoiler）]。（view spoile 4-4。5 stars。Felt like The Goldfinch （in the sense of growing up themes and length-wise） with some The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close （deceased father， grieving mother）。 Really enjoyed the writing。 Some parts did feel a little pushy with the Zen Buddhism themes and the different POV felt awkward sometimes because it was meant to be like （view spoiler）[a dialogue between protagonist and "The Book" but also wasn't？？ （hide spoiler）]。（view spoiler）[And a thought， but did author self-insert herself into the novel？ As the woman at the library with the glasses， Asian-looking， typing on the laptop？ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Sandy
，
I liked the story of Benny and his mom dealing with the death of the father/husband。 The book made me see mental health in a different way。 It is a long read。 But Ruth’s writing is beautiful。
Samantha
，
I liked it but never really got immersed or pulled into the story。
Michele
，
A trully extraordinary book about a boy called Benny and his mother Annabelle who have to cope with the unexpected death of their father/life partner。 It is a book about love， loss and mental health in the modern world， and how the person living in mental health sees the world and how the world sees them。 It's about Zen Buddhism， finding peace and about how books change the world one person at a time。 A trully extraordinary book about a boy called Benny and his mother Annabelle who have to cope with the unexpected death of their father/life partner。 It is a book about love， loss and mental health in the modern world， and how the person living in mental health sees the world and how the world sees them。 It's about Zen Buddhism， finding peace and about how books change the world one person at a time。 。。。more
Joanna
，
This took a really long time to get through， but I loved it in the end。 It was so weird， I put it down for a few days more than once， but I couldn’t abandon it。
Ben
，
Women’s Prize shortlist a real mixed bag this year， but this comfortably sits towards the top of the pack even if I didn’t quite chime with it as much as Maggie Shipstead or Lisa Allen-Agostini。
Leahbh
，
I abandoned this about 40% of the way。 Although there are intriguing aspects - staying with it is not at all the headspace that I want to inhabit。 Maybe this is diagnostic of some of my limitations。 If so， so be it。
Glass River
，
I chose to read this book on the strength of Ozeki’s previous novel “A Tale for the Time Being”， which I somewhat enjoyed。 But in this book， the author pushed the boundaries too far。 There was a good story lurking in there， but she buried it beneath layers and layers of info dumps， preachings， the annoyingness of the characters—half of the time my mind was shouting “get your shit together would you？”， the endless rantings at objects or from objects—yes， one of the characters was having conversat I chose to read this book on the strength of Ozeki’s previous novel “A Tale for the Time Being”， which I somewhat enjoyed。 But in this book， the author pushed the boundaries too far。 There was a good story lurking in there， but she buried it beneath layers and layers of info dumps， preachings， the annoyingness of the characters—half of the time my mind was shouting “get your shit together would you？”， the endless rantings at objects or from objects—yes， one of the characters was having conversations with the book in his head， and the book answered， in ranting language。 There’s a limit to suspension of disbelief you know。 And then the deus ex machina ending resolving everything that the author seemed to pull out of that jumbled mess of incoherence。 It was just too much for my sanity。 。。。more
Tess
，
This book is probably in my top ten fiction favorites。 I read “A Tale for the Time Being” a few years ago， so this summer， I planned to read Ruth Ozeki’s other works。 I enjoyed “All Over Creation，” but “The Book of Form and Emptiness” was breathtaking。 I feel I would need to read these 546 pages several more times to fully appreciate the nuances of her writing。 The omniscient point of view—taken to a meta level with “the Book” speaking， as well—presents a tragic and disturbing， yet beautiful and This book is probably in my top ten fiction favorites。 I read “A Tale for the Time Being” a few years ago， so this summer， I planned to read Ruth Ozeki’s other works。 I enjoyed “All Over Creation，” but “The Book of Form and Emptiness” was breathtaking。 I feel I would need to read these 546 pages several more times to fully appreciate the nuances of her writing。 The omniscient point of view—taken to a meta level with “the Book” speaking， as well—presents a tragic and disturbing， yet beautiful and affirming， look at faith， friendship， and mental health。 The motifs of this novel are so intricately woven that， again， I would have to read this novel multiple times to adequately describe the tapestry they weave。 This， to me， is Ruth Ozeki’s masterpiece。 。。。more
Anne Herbison
，
This book is about Benny aged 14， who hears voices， and his mother Annabelle， who becomes a hoarder， as they struggle with grief and life in general。 A compassionate book about the chaos caused by consumerism， climate change and extreme politics。
Kate
，
the storytelling in this book was so unique。 i loved the interactions between benny and the book and other objects。
Ruth Maitlen
，
One word: Wow！Loved。 loved。 loved everything about this book - complicated， unexpected characters and really wonderful， creative ideas -- the book as a character/narrator？！！ Great， relatable writing about angsty teen stuff， mental health issues， overwhelmed moms， dumpster diving poet/philosopher， intelligent crows， super interesting homeless people and librarian heroes 。。。 not one thing here not to like。My new favorite author！
Alex Wise
，
Good read which offers an enlightened perspective of schizophrenia。 I find myself giving most of my books four stars but I preferred the other Ozeki novel I have read - “A Tale For The Time Being。”
Nandika | Booktrovertgirl
，
The Book of Form and Emptiness is about love and loss， grief and its effects， and depression and hope。After the death of his father， Benny is trying to come to terms with it when he starts hearing voices。 Not just ordinary voices， but voices from things like his shoes， teapots or scissors。 The problem is exacerbated by his mother's hoarding problems， who is going through her own mental health issues after the death of her husband。I simply loved everyone in the book， even Annabelle （Benny's mothe The Book of Form and Emptiness is about love and loss， grief and its effects， and depression and hope。After the death of his father， Benny is trying to come to terms with it when he starts hearing voices。 Not just ordinary voices， but voices from things like his shoes， teapots or scissors。 The problem is exacerbated by his mother's hoarding problems， who is going through her own mental health issues after the death of her husband。I simply loved everyone in the book， even Annabelle （Benny's mother） who I sometimes wanted to shake。 When you read the book， you are firmly on Benny's side and never leave it， even when he does questionable things。 My heart just went out to him， trying to cope with his own mental health and his mother's issues。 Even though Annabelle is unaware of her son's mental health， she is also compassionate and trying her best so you are not able to make her or anyone else the villain of the book， and I really loved that。 Authors showing shades of grey in characters instead of outright black or white really enhanced the book。 Also， the narrator of the book is a Book as well， who is talking to Benny and us at the same time while telling his story。 A fabulous way to narrate the book for sure。In addition to being a book about Benny， the story also makes you question reality while Benny goes through the same question。 This book is a part of Women's Prize shortlist， but I have seen this book in lists like 'Books for bibliophiles'， and I totally agree with it。 。。。more
Kirat Kaur
，
This was good in an endearing affectionate aunty sort of way， but I liked A Tale for the Time Being better。 Ozeki brings her signature Zen Buddhist insight to the story of a Japanese-American boy and his mom dealing with the loss of the central figure in their lives， his dad， her husband。 Neither can come to terms with it， and both spiral into their own form of mental health issues， made worse by the precarity of working class living。 Benny hears voices from inanimate objects， Annabelle takes ho This was good in an endearing affectionate aunty sort of way， but I liked A Tale for the Time Being better。 Ozeki brings her signature Zen Buddhist insight to the story of a Japanese-American boy and his mom dealing with the loss of the central figure in their lives， his dad， her husband。 Neither can come to terms with it， and both spiral into their own form of mental health issues， made worse by the precarity of working class living。 Benny hears voices from inanimate objects， Annabelle takes hoarding to its extreme。 A Marie Kondo-type character appears， adding philosophical takes on the ideas of form and emptiness。 My favourite is the empty cardboard box labelled This is an Empty Box。 Another key character， the one I liked the least， is The Book。 I think maybe I’d have enjoyed the concept of thinking， talking books more in my 20s。 Or maybe the idea of books as objects of affection has become too memefied through the rise of social media。 I read this in stops and starts over the course of a very busy month， but this book is best devoured quickly in a few dedicated seatings。 。。。more
Greg Bem
，
A magnificent accomplishment。 Plucked my librarian heart strings from cover to cover。
Stevie Janska
，
This book is just pure magic; like nothing I've read before。 Heartbreaking and captivating， a unique perspective on mental health， grief and motherhood This book is just pure magic; like nothing I've read before。 Heartbreaking and captivating， a unique perspective on mental health， grief and motherhood 。。。more
Laura
，