Book Review: The Infinite Noise (The Bright Sessions #1) by Lauren Shippen
The Details
Title: The Infinite Noise
* Series: The Bright Sessions #1
Author: Lauren Shippen
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: Hardcover; 336
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Source: NetGalley / Publisher
Lauren Shippen’s The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut novel based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.
Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”
Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb’s ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb’s life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam’s feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb’s feelings in a way that he can’t quite understand.
Caleb’s therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.
The Review
Okay, bear me with friends. It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a review and actually I read this book over the span of 4 months so my thoughts are a little mushy. However I can firmly tell you that The Infinite Noise is a wonderful story. It’s full of love, heartache, beautifully rendered mental health discussions, and the perfect amount of science fiction. I had to set this book down in the middle of it, when my reading mojo went away, and picking it back up later was effortless. I had missed Caleb and Adam. It was so wonderful to step right back into their world.
We’re in a beautiful age of books that deal so expertly with mental health, and I think that’s wonderful. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I teared up while reading this book, mainly because the way that Shippen details Adam’s depression. Not only was the explanation spot on, as Caleb learned all about Adam’s feelings, but the way that Caleb dealt with it was perfection. Sometimes just sitting next to someone and navigating that darkness with them, even if you don’t know what to say to make it better, is so key. I couldn’t help but sob a little as I watched them navigate this weird relationship that was building between them and do it with so much feeling.
I’m going to stop here, because like I said I’m rusty at writing reviews and I’m not sure how to unravel my yarn ball of thoughts. What I will say though is that this book is lovely. It’s full of real feelings, and real work on navigating through them. It’s full of great relationships, realistic interactions between peers, and the kind of family love that makes me want to cuddle up and sob. Trust me when I say that this book about feelings will absolutely make you feel. A lot. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
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