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The book of form and emptiness / Ruth Ozeki.

Ozeki, Ruth, 1956- (author.).

Summary:
"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.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780399563645
  • ISBN: 0399563644
  • Physical Description: 548 pages ; 24 cm
  • Publisher: New York City : Viking, [2021]
Subject: Teenage boys > Fiction.
Fathers > Death > Fiction.
Books > Fiction.
Public libraries > Fiction.
Compulsive hoarding > Fiction.

Available copies

  • 28 of 31 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 31 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Abington Community Library FICTION OZEKI (Text) 50687011746107 Adult Fiction Available -
Albright Memorial Library FICTION OZEKI (Text) 50686016091303 Adult Fiction Available -
Carroll Valley Library FIC OZEKI RUTH (Text) 35740635776115 Fiction Available -
Dillsburg Area Public Library Adults OZE Fiction (Text) 34001001400413 Adult Area Available -
Emmaus Public Library FIC OZEKI, RUTH (Text) 36446002047887 Adult Fiction Available -
Exeter Community Library OZE (Text) 33249024807095 Fiction Available -
Highland Community Library F OZE (Text) 35610000980370 HGHM Fiction Available -
Indian Valley Public Library Fiction Ozeki (Text) 39427103605804 Fiction Room: Adult Fiction Checked Out 04/03/2024
Juniata County Library F OZE (Text) 39640100620903 JUNM Fiction Available -
Kutztown Community Library OZE (Text) 33249024605218 Fiction Available -


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