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Ruth Ozeki

 

Join us live and in person on Thursday, September 23rd at 7PM for a book talk with Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness. Joining Ruth in conversation will be Carole DeSanti, author of The Unruly Passions of Eugénie R.

About the Book


One year after the death of his beloved musician father, thirteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices. The voices belong to the things in his house—a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Although Benny doesn't understand what these things are saying, he can sense their emotional tone; some are pleasant, a gentle hum or coo, but others are snide, angry and full of pain. When his mother, Annabelle, develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous.

At first, Benny tries to ignore them, but soon the voices follow him outside the house, onto the street and at school, driving him at last to seek refuge in the silence of a large public library, where objects are well-behaved and know to speak in whispers. There, Benny discovers a strange new world. He falls in love with a mesmerizing street artist with a smug pet ferret, who uses the library as her performance space. He meets a homeless philosopher-poet, who encourages him to ask important questions and find his own voice amongst the many.

And he meets his very own Book—a talking thing—who narrates Benny’s life and teaches him to listen to the things that truly matter.

With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions, The Book of Form and Emptiness is classic Ruth Ozeki—bold, wise, poignant, playful, humane and heartbreaking.

About the Author


Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the award-winning author of three novels, My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, and A Tale for the Time Being, which was a finalist for the 2013 Booker Prize. Her nonfiction work includes a memoir, The Face: A Time Code, and the documentary film, Halving the Bones. She is affiliated with the Everyday Zen Foun­dation and teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities.

RSVP


This event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, please click here.

Get Your Copy


Books will be available to purchase at the event, but if you would like to reserve a copy ahead of time (recommended), you may do so below.

Event date: 
Thursday, September 23, 2021 - 7:00pm
Event address: 
9 College Street
South Hadley, MA 01075
The Book of Form and Emptiness: A Novel By Ruth Ozeki Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780399563645
Availability: Not in Stock - Hard to Find
Published: Viking - September 21st, 2021

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