I hope you are enjoying the school holidays! I have just got back from a little trip to Napier – we had booked this for April school holidays last year and then the Cyclone hit and our accommodation wasn’t available so it is nice when long held plans come together in the end – and good to be able to support the region in this way.
[Image generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT]
This week we take a look at The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. I read this book in March 2024, and loved it! This book is quite different for me, and perhaps for you too. This might be a good book if you are looking to expand your book horizons?
At the heart of the novel is Benny Oh, a young boy who, after his father's tragic death, begins to hear voices. The voices emanate from everyday objects, adding layers of philosophical pondering to Benny's already tumultuous world. This narrative choice could have easily become overwhelming or gimmicky in less skilled hands, but Ozeki manages it with finesse, using it to explore deeper themes of grief, identity, and our relationship with the material world. When I was explaining this book to Mr Matilda and said, it is about a little boy who hears objects talk, he looked at me with raised eyebrows. Are you doing the same?
This book is exquisite storytelling at its very best. I fell in love with the main character. In fact, I enjoyed many of these well-developed characters. I laughed out loud. I cried. Ozeki's portrayal of mental health and the process of grieving is nuanced and empathetic. She doesn't shy away from the messiness and confusion that often accompany these experiences. Instead, she invites the reader into Benny’s inner world with such intimacy that his journey feels incredibly real and poignant.
Another standout aspect of the book is its exploration of the nature of objects and our connection to them in a consumerist society. This was a standout theme for me, and had me really questioning my attitudes and behaviours. I love a book that makes you really think, and this book does that but not in a “down your throat” way. Through Benny's interactions with the voices of these objects, Ozeki delves into philosophical discussions about the meaning and value we assign to the physical world.
This book may be a bit abstract for some readers. One of the benefits of me being such a mood reader is that I can read a particular book when the mood hits me. If you are in the mood for a philosophical book with excellent character development, exploring the topics of grief and mental health, this is the book for you. Don’t just take my word for it. This book took out the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022. Pick this book up if you enjoy literary fiction, because life is too short to read bad books.