The Book of Form and Emptiness
The Book of Form and EmptinessRuth Ozeki
Characters in The Book of Form and Emptiness
5 characters, main characters first.Main characters
Benny Oh
A grieving 14-year-old who begins hearing the voices of inanimate objects after his father's death.
Supporting characters
Annabelle Oh
Benny's mother, an audio archivist who spirals into hoarding while unable to face her husband's death.
Kenji Oh
Benny's father, a jazz clarinetist whose sudden death opens the novel.
The Aleph
A nonbinary punk street artist and dumpster-diver Benny meets and falls for at the library.
The Bottleman
An elderly, wheelchair-using philosopher-poet who collects bottles outside the library and offers Benny wisdom.