After the tragic death of his beloved musician father, fourteen-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 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, where 'things happen'. He falls in love with a mesmerising 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.

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Store Description

Burway Books was established in September 1974 by Rosalind Ephraim with help from her Mum and Dad. Rosalind still owns and runs the shop, now aided and abetted by her son, Alun, along with local girls Hilary Jones, Heather Millar, and Natasha Savage who all have a love of books and a wealth of knowledge about the local area. After 37 years at No 10 Beaumont Road, the shop moved to spacious new premises in March 2011, just a few doors along from its original home. We are now happily settled in to our "new" premises and enjoy greeting customers - old and new. Church Stretton is a credited "Walkers Are Welcome" town, and we stock a comprehensive selection of ORDNANCE SURVEY maps, both local and covering the whole of the UK. We also carry a large stock of international Michelin maps, atlases and travel guides

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BURWAY BOOKS Ltd
Baillie Chartered Certified Accountants, Churchway, Church Stretton, SY6 6DJ, United Kingdom

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