The winner of the 2022 Women's Prize for fiction has just been announced. Ruth Ozeki won for her novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness.
“In an extraordinary year for fiction written by women, and from an incredibly strong shortlist, we were thrilled to choose Ruth Ozeki's The Book of Form and Emptiness, which stood out for its sparking writing, warmth, intelligence, humour and poignancy. A celebration of the power of books and reading, it tackles big issues of life and death, and is a complete joy to read. Ruth Ozeki is a truly original and masterful storyteller.”
The Book of Form and Emptiness is the story of 14 year old Benny Oh who hears voices after his father dies. When his mother becomes a hoarder, the objects in his house speak louder, so Benny seeks respite in the local library.
Ruth Ozeki received the £30,000 prize and the award ‘Bessie’, a limited-edition bronze figurine. American-Canadian author and film-maker Ozeki is probably best known for her novel A Tale for the Time Being (2013) which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
I have not yet read this novel. I had been hoping that Meg Mason would win for her wonderful Sorrow and Bliss, or Maggie Shipstead for her epic Great Circle. However I will now move Ozeki up my reading list.
