The Book of Form and Emptiness

After the death of his father, thirteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices, voices that belong to the things in his house — a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Benny doesn’t understand what the things are saying, but he senses their emotional tone; some are pleasant, a gentle hum or coo, others are snide or angry and full of pain. When his mother, Annabelle, develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous. Seeking refuge in the silence of a large public library, where objects are well-behaved and know to speak in whispers, Benny discovers a strange new world. He learns to ask important questions and is challenged to find his own voice amongst the many.