The Book of Form and Emptiness vs Vermilion: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fathers, Death, Fiction
The Book of Form and Emptiness
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The Book of Form and Emptiness is a novel by American author Ruth Ozeki, published in 2021 by Viking. Ozekis fourth novel, the book won the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction. The story follows a boy who hears voices from…
Vermilion
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From the jacket From the very beginning, for Lindsay Phillips, there was the memory of that terrible cane with the dragon's head-threatening horror, torment, death. And always there was Vermilion whispering in…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Vermilion is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 10 for The Book of Form and Emptiness.
- The Book of Form and Emptiness has the widest readership — 41138 ratings behind its score.
- The Book of Form and Emptiness runs the darker storyline; Vermilion stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Book of Form and Emptiness | Vermilion | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (41138) | 3.8 (1121) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (97) | — |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (19) |
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Reception
| The Book of Form and Emptiness | Vermilion | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 41138 | 1121 |
| Editions | 8 | 13 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 76956 | 391 |
| Reading it now | 4475 | 167 |
| Written reviews | 6040 | 57 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1178 | 17622 |
| Pages | 560 | 294 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Book of Form and Emptiness or Vermilion?
The Book of Form and Emptiness has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Book of Form and Emptiness 4.0/5, Vermilion 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Book of Form and Emptiness or Vermilion?
Vermilion is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Vermilion (294 pages, ≈ 5 h 27 m); The Book of Form and Emptiness (560 pages, ≈ 10 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: The Book of Form and Emptiness or Vermilion?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Book of Form and Emptiness: Moderate; Vermilion: Moderate.