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stwriter92's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“A book must start somewhere. One brave letter must volunteer to go first, laying itself on the line in an act of faith, from which a word takes heart and follows, drawing a sentence into its wake. From there, a paragraph amasses, and soon a page, and the book is on its way, finding a voice, calling itself into being.”
Graphic: Medical trauma, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Grief, Drug use, Mental illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Vomit
jacq_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Self harm, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse
ye_li's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, and Self harm
Minor: Sexism, Child abuse, and Sexual content
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Cursing, Sexual assault, Grief, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body shaming, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Racism, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Police brutality, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
alomie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really had to concentrate with this book, and it wasn't am easy read to begin with, there is actually quite a lot packed into this book, and it's not really surprising that it's over 500 pages long.
There is the main plot about Benny our main character who is struggling with mental health issues following the tragic and unexpected death of his father, Benny hears objects talk to him, and also hears voices.
There is the chapters from the perspective of a book that is Benny's story, which speaks to Benny and helps him remember things he has forgot, these parts were honestly my favourite, and I highlighted so many bits, that it's impossible to share them all.
There is the story of Annabell Benny's mother who is isolated, friendless, in a job that is being phased out, recently widowed and dealing with the mental health problems of herself and her teenage son.
Also there is the stories of the bottleman (a homeless poet) and the Aleph, a older girl who Benny meets in the hospital when he is committed for hearing voice, a troubled girl with a drug addiction who is also a talented artist.
And I've not even mentioned the part of the story about the Zen monk who writes a book about tidying (think Marie Kondo) and whole chapters of that book are in this one. This book eventually helps Annabelle, make changes.
All of this only really scratches the surface, and I really enjoyed this book but, it did take me a while to get into it, but there is some definite magic in these pages, I've given it a 4.5 because of that, and some parts dragged a bit.
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders
aemulatio's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Self harm
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Violence, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, and Animal death
feebles640's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Body horror, Self harm, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
absolutive's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm
Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
ukki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, Addiction, and Fatphobia
Minor: Self harm, Police brutality, Rape, and Drug abuse
hollyd19's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The protagonist, Benny Oh, starts hearing voices after the unexpected and upsetting death of his beloved father. He realizes that the voices are the objects of the world trying to get his attention. On the whole, he finds their pleas overwhelming and he retreats into himself in search of solace. Ultimately, he finds comfort at the public library where things are literally quiet and orderly, and he meets a delightful cast of characters from the social margins who help him see his worth and sanity. Benny’s mother, Annabelle, wracked with grief, experiences her own breakdown and begins hoarding. Benny’s new “ability” clashes dramatically with Annabelle’s penchant for collecting, and the two have to figure out how to hold their little family together amidst their individual struggles.
Ruth Ozeki is incredibly inventive and this book definitely played with structure and perspective in an original way. The supporting cast of characters were all treated as full people which added immensely to my enjoyment.
My only critique of the book is that I wished for even more insight into the world Ozeki built around objects. The Book (a character in itself!) explains to Benny that there is a bit of a rift between Made and Unmade items, and occasionally goes on rants about how various objects (specifically books) view humanity. I really enjoyed those parts and they came with less and less frequency as the book progressed which was a bit of a bummer.
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Car accident, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts