The Book of Form and Emptiness: A Novel Paperback – June 14, 2022

’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.’The year that Benny Oh turns 12 is the year that his father dies. His life, and the life of his mother begin to unravel quickly. Benny begins to hear the voices of inanimate objects, some of which insist that he use them for evil purposes, which is how he ends up in a psychiatric ward. Meanwhile, his mother is worried. Worried about him. Worried about her job. Worried about the landlord’s son who keeps trying to have her evicted. Worried about the crows which she befriends that seem to hover over this story. Worried about life and how best to live it. She is unwilling to part with a number of objects that have some sentimental meaning to her, from her son’s clothing when he was a young boy to broken teapots and other objects that she keeps meaning to repair. At the same time, she frequently finds new objects to add to this collection, and in perusing a store for yet more to add, she discovers a book called ’Tidy Magic’, the author of which is a ‘real Zen monk.’’Things are needy. They take up space. They want attention, and they will drive you mad if you let them.’When Benny returns home, his mother has tried to put some of the ’Tidy Magic’ recommendations into practice, but since almost everything she owns, to borrow a phrase from Marie Kondo, ’sparks joy’ almost nothing ends up in the toss bin. Benny begins to spend more and more time at the library, the time he is meant to be spending in school. At the library he meets up with The Aleph, a young girl slightly older than him. She becomes somewhat of an influence on him, and eventually a friend, although he harbors a somewhat secret crush on her.’Pencils have stories inside them, and they’re safe as long as you don’t stick the point in your ear. Just hold it next to your head and listen. Can you hear the wood whisper? The ghost of the pine? The mutter of lead?’At times, this reads like an ode to books, to reading, writing, and the haven and solace found in words shared in books, especially when there is no person who can provide that comfort, that safe shelter for the soul. Other times, it is an adventure story, as well as a story of love. A mother’s love, a young boy’s first love. At times it is heartrending, other times it provides a healing touch.An enchanting story of love and its power to heal shared with a sprinkling of magical realism.

“Stories never start at the beginning, Benny. They differ from life in that regard. Life is lived from birth to death, from the beginning into an unknowable future. But stories are told in hindsight. Stories are life lived backward.” (p28)I was deep into this book before I made peace with it. Early on, I was frustrated and a bit annoyed. The story seemed to meander, and “the book” that talks to the protagonist struck me as little more than a device that makes possible a mildly quirky omniscient narrator. But the story slowly came into focus. The author eventually hooked me and reeled me in. I can’t shake the feeling that my initial reaction was part of her plan all along.This is a novel that rewards patience. People connect in interesting and surprising ways across time and space. First impressions of seemingly cardboard characters give way to nuance, depth, and empathy. The characters' interactions, inner lives, and backstories are a poignant, thoughtful commentary on the human condition. By the time I neared the end I cared deeply about the characters and the story. I didn’t want the book to end.If you enjoy this novel, you’ll probably also like Ozeki’s “A Tale for the Time Being”. It’s clear that Ozeki, a Zen Buddhist priest, has a knack for compelling stories that help us see how we are all connected in profound and important ways.

Fourteen-year-old Benny Oh and his mother, Annabelle, both have a problem with inanimate objects. Since the death of Kenji, Benny’s father, Benny hears the voices of things like a table leg, which tells him the story of a toddler being tied to it. Annabelle’s hoarding of useless stuff could result in their eviction and in Benny’s removal to foster care. Benny’s issues lead him to do some really asinine things, and I felt for Annabelle as she struggles to keep her job and her sanity while Benny becomes increasingly more unmanageable. At its heart, this book is an attack on the materialistic world in which we live. However, it also makes a statement on the inadequacy of our mental health system, although Benny’s problems would be a challenge for any doctor trying to diagnose and treat them. I found this book to be a relatively fast read, despite its length, but I found some aspects of it to be unnecessary and confusing. At times, the narrator is definitely a book or books, and sometimes Benny is the narrator. It also contains snippets from a book called Tidy Magic, which Annabelle is reading, although her adherence to its advice is haphazard at best. Whereas objects speak to Benny, Annabelle speaks to objects, as suggested in Tidy Magic, thanking them for their service before disposing of them. Despite all this conversation with inanimate stuff, the only objects that actually come to life are the tidying-up book itself and a collection of words on refrigerator magnets that periodically rearrange themselves in a different order. Then there’s the author of Tidy Magic, who lives in a Zen monastery. She comes into the picture because Annabelle voices her frustrations to the author via email with no expectation of a reply, and I guess that’s why we need to know her situation. The good news about this side plot is that the Zen author’s aide offhandedly offers a welcome explanation for Benny’s behavior.