Benny Oh
A 14-year-old boy of Japanese and Korean heritage, Benny becomes overwhelmed by the voices of inanimate objects after the sudden death of his father, Kenji. These voices reflect his grief and confusion, gradually pushing him to seek refuge in the quiet order of the public library. Benny's journey is both spiritual and psychological — a search for meaning amid loss and noise. His surname, Oh, evokes openness and surprise, while his connection to the Zen Buddhist notion of emptiness (śūnyatā) suggests he is a vessel waiting to be filled with understanding and compassion.
Annabelle Oh
Benny's mother, Annabelle, struggles to cope with her husband's death and develops a compulsive hoarding disorder. Her obsession with material possessions becomes a physical manifestation of her grief and emotional paralysis. The name Annabelle — derived from "grace" (Anna) and "beauty" (belle) — ironically contrasts with the chaos of her home. Her inability to let go of objects symbolizes humanity's attachment to the material world and the difficulty of releasing emotional pain.
Kenji Oh
A jazz clarinetist and Benny's father, Kenji dies in a tragic accident involving a chicken truck. His death initiates the novel's exploration of sound, silence, and loss. Though absent, his presence lingers throughout the narrative — both in memory and through the clarinet that seems to carry his voice — serving as a haunting echo of creativity and impermanence.
The Book
The novel's omniscient narrator, The Book is a sentient object that guides Benny through his struggle to distinguish meaningful voices from meaningless noise. It represents the power of stories to give shape to chaos and restore balance to human experience. As a self-aware narrator, The Book transforms literature itself into a compassionate presence, emphasizing the healing potential of narrative and imagination.
The Aleph
A nonbinary performance artist and dumpster diver, The Aleph becomes Benny's friend and guide in the world beyond the library. The name refers to Jorge Luis Borges's story “The Aleph,” where a single point contains all points in the universe. Ozeki's Aleph embodies this multiplicity — worldly, wise, and boundary-defying. Through art and empathy, they help Benny question social norms and discover his own perspective on reality.
The Bottleman
An elderly, wheelchair-bound philosopher-poet who haunts the library, The Bottleman collects discarded bottles as both survival and spiritual practice. He represents detachment from materialism and offers Benny a philosophical lens to view his experiences. His name evokes the paradox of emptiness — containers that hold nothing yet symbolize infinite potential. Once a renowned academic, he chooses a life of simplicity, mirroring the Zen idea that wisdom often exists outside institutions.
The Objects
The inanimate objects that speak to Benny form a chorus of the material world — each voice revealing aspects of memory, guilt, or longing. Some comfort him, others ridicule or overwhelm him. Together, they represent the cluttered noise of consumer culture and the emotional residue of grief.
The Crows
Appearing throughout the novel, the crows are symbolic guides that witness key events. They embody transformation, freedom, and the continuity between the living and the dead. Like Zen koans, their presence resists interpretation but invites reflection on impermanence and awareness.
