The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki, 4 stars

[Holly R W]

This book is both beautifully written and painfully sad. It is a difficult book to explain. Here is the Goodreads blurb:

After the tragic death of 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.

The narrators are both Benny Oh himself and the Book that tells him it is his book, the book about Benny. There are many layers to the story and there can be many interpretations.

I found this to be a devastating look at mental illness. Benny's life is derailed by the voices he hears. School becomes impossible for him and other kids tease him. His young psychiatrist seems clueless. He has to go into a psychiatric children's hospital more than once.

Annabelle, Benny's mother, has problems of her own which block her from being able to help. She has not gotten over the death of her husband. Her employment is precarious. And, her hoarding has become a serious problem. Garbage and objects are piled up all over the house, which disgusts Benny.

For me, an interesting part of the story was the Library that Benny frequented and the friends he discovered there, Aleph and the "B" Man. Aleph is an 18 year old girl who lives on the streets and has her own emotional problems. She is empathic and her friendship with Benny helps him. The "B" Man is disabled, wheelchair bound and similarly homeless. He is a philosopher.

The Book of Form and Emptiness looks at Benny's and his mother's relationships with inanimate objects. He thinks of them as living and hears them speak. She becomes too attached to things until they take over her living space.

The book raises more questions than answers. It is one of the most painful books I have read.

[Susan]

Interesting review, Holly. Sounds well written but I"m not sure I can read so much sadness right now. Ozeki must be very versatile - I really enjoyed her (very different) Year of Meats.

[Holly R W]

Thanks, Susan. You are not alone in not wanting to read such sad books.