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A review by loriluo
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
4.0
I was a little wary of starting "The Book of Form and Emptiness" given its slightly daunting length, but its designation as the winner of the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction eventually pushed it over the hump for me, and I found it well worth the time.
Crossing the genres of contemporary fiction and magical realism, the novel is told from the perspectives of 14 year-old Benny Oh as well as a second narrator, who we learn is "his book". Benny lives with his mother Annabelle after the tragic death of his father, Japanese-Korean jazz musician Kenji Oh. Both of them grieve his death in different ways; Annabelle develops a hoarding problem, compounded by her work archiving newspapers, and her depression strains her relationship with Benny. Benny, on the other hand, begins to hear voices from otherwise inanimate objects - from Christmas decorations, to a pair of scissors, to a windowpane in school that breaks the flight of a bird. Despite her best efforts and multiple doctor visits and drug prescriptions for Benny, Annabelle is barely able to keep their family together.
Their situations begin to change, however, when Benny begins to frequent the public library for refuge, and meets a mysterious girl who calls herself the Aleph and her friend Slavoj, "The Bottleman", who come to accept the voices he hears without question. Annabelle as well struggles with being a sole provider and parent, and comes across a book called "Tidy Magic" written by a Zen Monk that she begins to work her way through, and little by little, is able to make changes to their home and her mentality. (The book is, of course, a nod to Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up".) Despite the fractured relationship that Benny and Annabelle have, the story is a nod to the ties of family and what really matters.
This was my first encounter with Ruth Ozeki's writing, and I absolutely loved her prose and writing style. Her writing is rich and descriptive, full of depth and emotion at the right moments, juxtaposed with humor and dry wit at others. She's been able to craft a story about a small family working through their grief, and touched on other difficult subjects like racism, mental health, substance abuse, and consumerism. Each of her characters are crafted with care and true-to-life personalities and traits; despite their struggles, the best of them shine through at the end. At the end of this, it's clear to me why this novel has received such acclaim, and I hope to read more of Ozeki's writing in the future!
Crossing the genres of contemporary fiction and magical realism, the novel is told from the perspectives of 14 year-old Benny Oh as well as a second narrator, who we learn is "his book". Benny lives with his mother Annabelle after the tragic death of his father, Japanese-Korean jazz musician Kenji Oh. Both of them grieve his death in different ways; Annabelle develops a hoarding problem, compounded by her work archiving newspapers, and her depression strains her relationship with Benny. Benny, on the other hand, begins to hear voices from otherwise inanimate objects - from Christmas decorations, to a pair of scissors, to a windowpane in school that breaks the flight of a bird. Despite her best efforts and multiple doctor visits and drug prescriptions for Benny, Annabelle is barely able to keep their family together.
Their situations begin to change, however, when Benny begins to frequent the public library for refuge, and meets a mysterious girl who calls herself the Aleph and her friend Slavoj, "The Bottleman", who come to accept the voices he hears without question. Annabelle as well struggles with being a sole provider and parent, and comes across a book called "Tidy Magic" written by a Zen Monk that she begins to work her way through, and little by little, is able to make changes to their home and her mentality. (The book is, of course, a nod to Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up".) Despite the fractured relationship that Benny and Annabelle have, the story is a nod to the ties of family and what really matters.
This was my first encounter with Ruth Ozeki's writing, and I absolutely loved her prose and writing style. Her writing is rich and descriptive, full of depth and emotion at the right moments, juxtaposed with humor and dry wit at others. She's been able to craft a story about a small family working through their grief, and touched on other difficult subjects like racism, mental health, substance abuse, and consumerism. Each of her characters are crafted with care and true-to-life personalities and traits; despite their struggles, the best of them shine through at the end. At the end of this, it's clear to me why this novel has received such acclaim, and I hope to read more of Ozeki's writing in the future!