Account

Company

  Menu
Large Image

The Book of Form and Emptiness: A Novel

by

(4,371 reviews)

Get It Preview
$4.99 $7.99 Save 38%

Share This

Description

Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction

"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

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.

Tag This Book

This Book Has Been Tagged
It hasn't. Be the first to tag this book!

Our Recommendation

Get It This book is at its lowest price within the past year.

Notify Me When The Price...

  • If I'm already tracking this book

to track this book on eReaderIQ.

Track These Authors

to track Ruth Ozeki on eReaderIQ.

  • to be notified each time the price drops on any book by Ruth Ozeki.
  • to stop tracking Ruth Ozeki.

Price Summary

  • We started tracking this book on February 11, 2021.
  • This book was $14.99 when we started tracking it.
  • The price of this book has changed 62 times in the past 1,461 days.
  • The current price of this book is $4.99 last checked 6 hours ago.
  • This book is at its lowest price in the past year.
  • The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on January 15, 2023.
  • This book has been $1.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
  • The highest price to date was $14.99 last reached on August 12, 2024.
  • This book has been $14.99 13 times since we started tracking it.

Genres

Additional Info

  • Text-to-Speech: Disabled
  • Lending: Disabled
  • Print Length: 560 Pages
  • File Size: 7,003 KB

We last verified the price of this book about 6 hours ago. At that time, the price was $4.99. This price is subject to change. The price displayed on the Amazon.com website at the time of purchase is the price you will pay for this book. Please confirm the price before making any purchases.