CS Knowledge Base

The Book of Form and Emptiness is a novel by American author Ruth Ozeki, published in 2021 by Viking. Ozeki's fourth novel, the book won the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction. The story follows a boy who hears voices from inanimate objects while the narrative explores themes of mental illness and bereavement.^[1]

The novel was partially inspired by Zen Buddhism. A question from a Zen parable; "do insentient beings speak the dharma?” formed the central theme of the narrative. The death of Ozeki's father also shaped the book. Ozeki took eight years to write the book.^[2]

The library that plays a central role in the story is based on Vancouver Public Library. Ozeki previously spent time in the system's central branch researching her 1998 debut novel, My Year of Meats.^[3]

Following the death of his father, Benny Oh, an American boy of Japanese-Korean descent,^[4] begins hearing voices calling out from inanimate objects. Oh's relationship with his mother, an archivist and hoarder, deteriorates and he begins spending time in a public library, befriending a group of outsiders including an artist and a poet.^[5]

The story is mostly narrated by the book itself. Some sections of the novel are narrated by Oh.^[6]

The novel received mixed reviews. The Guardian praised Ozeki's "calm, dry, methodical good humour and wit".^[5] The Washington Post described the narrative as "cluttered" but also described the book as "compelling".^[7] The Daily Telegraph described the book as "a preachy, whimsical mess".^[8]

• Women's Prize for Fiction.^[9]