The story follows a boy who hears voices from inanimate objects while the narrative explores themes of mental illness and bereavement.

A question from a Zen parable; "do insentient beings speak the dharma?” formed the central theme of the narrative.

Ozeki previously spent time in the system's central branch researching her 1998 debut novel, My Year of Meats.

[3] Following the death of his father, Benny Oh, an American boy of Japanese-Korean descent,[4] begins hearing voices calling out from inanimate objects.

Oh's relationship with his mother, an archivist and hoarder, deteriorates and he begins spending time in a public library, befriending a group of outsiders including an artist and a poet.