Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

170 reviews

hannaemilia's review against another edition

4.25

Story-wise not quite as enjoyable as Ruth Ozeki's "A tale for the time being", which I read last year and which quickly became my favourite book I've ever read. However the prose and the very unique structuring of the book still made it a very enjoyable read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

ka_cam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Weaving an omnicient Book narrator with a youthful young man who hears voices of objects and unseen entities (including the Book) as him and his mom grieves the loss of his father and finds his way through early adolescence. Some of the characters felt a bit flat/different from a teen boy narrator, but otherwise a solid read. The self proclaimed ‘big question’ is “what is real?” But themes of family, friendship, mental health, anti-capitalism, suffering, zen, substance use/abuse, and family/care.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism

taulkstoomuch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Mmm delectable

Lots of little twists that made the plot more interesting and the characters more dimensional
The dual narrative was also very effective with the voices being clearly seperate

‘But stories are told in hindsight. Stories are life lived backward.’

‘They had been conditioned to believe they were not enough, and were so focused on self improvement they forgot about their inherent perfection.’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

3ofclubs's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really interesting perspective to tell the story from (both boy and book). I liked the music references, but there could've been more to them. Seemed like an accurate portrayal of mental health struggles though I can't attest. Ending felt somewhat unresolved:

I was rooting for Annabelle to figure things out, and ended up surprised by Benny's character development.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Death of parent

chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the second Ruth Ozeki book that I've read, and while I prefer "A Tale for the Time Being," I can't deny how poignant and well-crafted "The Book of Form and Emptiness" is.  I love the way that it splits its focus between Benny and his mother Annabelle, and I like how a book narrates the majority of the plot, with Benny's own voice gradually becoming more book-like as he matures.  Having a book as a character in a book—and establishing that that book is the same one we're reading—seems like an easy way for an author to come across as obnoxiously meta or to confuse their audience.  But Ruth Ozeki incorporates such elements with skill and to a beautiful effect.

The Zen Buddhist elements in this novel are fascinating, as well, and I appreciate how we get snippets of books within a book.  The characters' struggles and their stories prompted me to reexamine my own life, and they made me feel inspired and galvanized in a way that not many books accomplish.  I wrote down at least a dozen quotes while reading, and I'm impressed by how attached I grew to Annabelle and how quickly, too.  It's not a question of her versus Benny, but at many points in the novel, I understood Benny's embarrassment but still felt firmly on Annabelle's side, wanting to tell Benny things, like, "She's trying her best!" and, "Do you have any idea how amazing your mom is, dude?"

Overall, this is a fantastic book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Ruth Ozeki in the future.  There's something about her style and the subjects that she chooses to focus on that makes the cogs in my brain whir like a symphony.  I hope to be able to write stories that are even a fraction as powerful and engrossing as hers someday! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Drug use, Blood, Car accident, and Classism

perlaesq's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It took me 100 pages to get into the book. The meta-book format rubbed me the wrong way at first. However, the thoughtfulness and compassion of the author was evident, and it led to a fun book club discussion. It read like a book I'd read in middle or high school. It could have been maybe 200 pages shorter. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

cass_lit's review against another edition

3.25

I think I want to like Ruth Ozeki’s work more than I end up actually doing so. The idea of this had so much potential and I enjoyed having the book narrator. What’s up with modern books throwing around the r-word in order to showcase bullying though? I hate it and it makes me hate the writing. We know better and authors have to do better. I have some other critiques on the language used to talk about the mom and Benny that just overall took me out of the story. Personally, I just wish the execution of an interesting plot would’ve been done a little better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Death of parent

saltysnails's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of my favorite books I have ever read. The twists and turns had me enthralled. Such a beautiful and real depiction of mental illness

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

mementomoriiv's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The characters are a bit too stereotypical, but I loved the way she framed mental illness and ideas about hearing voices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Self harm