The book of form and emptiness / Ruth Ozeki.

Thirteen-year-old Benny Oh starts to hear voices after the death of his musician father. The voices belong to the things in his house such as a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Although Benny doesn't know what these things are saying, he can sense their emotional tone. When his mother, Annabelle, becomes a hoarder, the voices grow more clamorous. At first, Benny tries to ignore them, but soon the voices follow him, driving him at last to seek sanctuary in the silence of a large public library, where objects are quieter. There, Benny finds a strange new world. He falls in love with a street artist, and he encounters a homeless philosopher-poet, who encourages him to ask important questions and find his own voice amongst the many. And he comes in contact with his very own Book--a talking thing--who narrates Benny's life and teaches him to listen to the things that are important.