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    Audiobook3 hours

    Nothing

    Written by Janne Teller

    Narrated by Jessica Lawshe

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A story about everything and nothing, a boy in a plum tree, and a 7th grade no longer sure that anything means anything.

    "The novel asks the immense existential questions of the meaning of life. With its unusual, rhythmic and tightly composed language it is an amazing piece of work, which teasingly, grippingly and thrillingly depicts the quest of a group of children to proving to themselves and other people that something matters in life."      Information

    "A youth novel in Nobel Prize class."     Lena Kjersén Edman, Sweden

    "Janne Teller has written a novel about nothing less than the meaning of life. This book makes a deep impression on the reader and incites continued reflection." The Danish Cultural Minister.

    From www.jannekeller.dk
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 13, 2011
    ISBN9780307942364
    Author

    Janne Teller

    Janne Teller was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has written several award-winning novels that have been translated into a number of languages. Nothing is the winner of the prestigious Best Children’s Book Award from the Danish Cultural Ministry and is also a Printz Award Honor Book in the United States. Janne lives in New York City and Denmark.

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    Reviews for Nothing

    3.5/5

    284 ratings66 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I had seen this book described as "disturbing" and knew I had to check it out. It's about a group of seventh graders who are trying to find meaning in life after being taunted by a classmate. They pick important things for each other to give up and add to the heap of meaning, which over time becomes more and more bizarre. It is poetically written (especially for being translated out of its native language) and is very sparse, both in prose as well as formatting (there is a lot of white space, and it's very short). I wouldn't call it "disturbing" myself; I guessed a major part of what would happen at the end and therefore wasn't shocked by that, and perhaps I read more disturbing things in general. Overall it was a great book, and one I would definitely re-read.
    • 4/5
      I had a lot of trouble with this one. It's very well-written, and a quick read, if you were to sit down and read it through. But I wasn't able to. I kept having to put it down, walk away, and try to find something to distract myself from the disturbing subject matter.The trouble starts mildly -- thirteen-year-old Pierre Anthon stands up in class and announces, 'Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that.' His classmates are at first stunned, then intrigued, and then finally determined to prove to Pierre that there are things in life that do matter. As Pierre sits in his family's plum tree yelling at them as they walk to and from school, his classmates come up with a plan to collect things that matter, intending to bring Pierre to see the collection once it is finished. But what to include in a pile of meaning?This is where I started getting uneasy. As no one willingly gives up what he/she holds most dear, the students begin choosing items of importance for each other. And as one student is bullied into giving up his/her most precious item, resentment builds, pushing that student to find an even more precious item for the next. What begins with old broken toys, then a set of books, then a favorite pair of shoes escalates into very ugly territory.This reminded me of Lord of the Flies, as it carries the same sense of peer pressure, bullying and preying on weakness. The ugliness that humans are capable of in stressful situations (and things get VERY stressful for these thirteen-year-olds) is so much more terrible when witnessed in the young.While I personally found so much troubling about the actions of these kids, I wonder that I bring a whole lot of adult baggage into my reading. Considering that, I do think this would be a good read for 10th grade and up, especially if in a school setting -- the class discussions generated by Nothing could be epic.Recommended.
    • 3/5
      A parable of a young teen who decides "nothing" matters so climbs a tree and sits. His increasingly-concerned classmates try various ways to nudge him out of his inertia. It is a bleak parable that, in this reader's opinion, suffered in its translation from the Danish.
    • 2/5
      3Q 3PI had a really hard time forcing myself to read this at the beginning, and then when the pile of meaning started it felt like the story was finally moving along. I thought it was going to be more like Baron in the Trees (Calvino) when the book began, but as the story went on I realized it was much more like Golding's Lord of the Flies and that led me to accurately predicting the ending. I didn't really like any of the characters, children or adults, and the cover was misleading - I thought there would be some emotional support or love or something in the book; I found none. The groupthink portrayed in the book often frustrated me. It was curious to note the comments about how only one set of parents in the book was still together, while all the others were divorced, and how the only person outside the group really described at all was a deceased family member. I'm not sure if this was to make the group more isolated (like the boys in Lord of the Flies, with their one character who was also deceased from the beginning), or more to illustrate the death of the concept of family in the village.
    • 1/5
      Honestly, I think this book was horrific. At the end I'm not sure what it is I was supposed to take away from it aside from a deep sense of disgust and further insight into what horrendous things groups of people can do no matter what their age. At first I was just irritated by the book because I thought the premise was stupid, the pace was slow, and it felt like it was pretty much about "nothing," as the title implied. As the story progressed, however, my boredom and "this book is about nothing" attitude shifted to one of disgust and I felt greatly disturbed. Honestly, I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone. Go read something else.I read this book during lunch breaks at work and I returned to work with dark, negative and disturbing thoughts, to the point that my supervisor had to ask me if I was okay. Honestly, what was the point of this book aside from being like, "See how sick and twisted humans can be?" Honestly! I felt like it was a complete waste of my time. A quote from the book that I thought might generate a discussion: "'If something's worth getting upset about, then there must be something worth getting happy about. And if something's worth getting happy about, then there must be something that matters. But there isn't!' He raised his voice a notch and roared, 'In a few years you'll all be dead and forgotten and diddly-squat, nothing, so you might just as well start getting used to it!''
    • 4/5
      5Q, 3P. A truly disturbing novel that at times I wish I hadn't read. That said, it is extraordinarily well written, and draws readers into an existentialist debate that is raging in the minds of a 7th grade class in a rural Danish town. The trouble begins with Pierre Anthon, a student who has discovered that since nothing means anything, nothing is worth doing. In their attempt to prove him wrong, the members of his class begin assembling a "heap of meaning" in an abandoned building at the edge of town. As the heap grows, so too grows the horror in what the children ask each other to "give up" to the pile - death, innocence, and ability are all sacrificed...but at what cost?
    • 4/5
      5Q, 3P - While I must admit that this book is very well written, it is not really to my taste. The narrative from the thoughts of Agnes is engaging, and I appreciated the interjections that were sprinkled throughout. Sometimes they mirrored Agnes' thoughts, such as "Blue. Bluer. Bluest." Sometimes, they mirrored what she told herself, but did not reflect her true feelings. They were just a nice little exclamation point to the dialog.
    • 1/5
      I wish I hadn't read this book. Can I leave it at that? Can I say that I foresaw the whole dog thing and knew in my gut that I should have stopped reading but instead went on? This book made me angry. The translation was odd and the context was somewhat lacking. I kept having to go back and reread to see if I missed something. I didn't like that there were no adults in this story, that it was constantly just the kids talking to each other, trying to make sense of things, lying and sneaking and trying to out do each other. The whole thing just made me sick and while I can understand that some people would like this book and appreciate the struggle and underlying dilemma, this book was not for me and is one that I wished I had only read about.
    • 3/5
      3Q 3P. I found this novel to be twisted, unruly and a metaphor for the addictive nature of the mob mentality. When Pierre Anthon places himself up in a tree and declares that there is no meaning to life his friends ban together to prove him wrong. But their sacrifices begin to spiral out of control, creating an erratic and intense story plot. It resonated with the classic "Lord of the Flies" but this contemporary version didn't stand up to the original story, so I only gave it a 3 for quality. Where it had the opportunity to delve into the emotional and psychological aspect of the human mind it felt short and trivial. Not that I wouldn't recommend the book, but if I were to recommend it I would definitely ask a young adult to pair it with "Lord of the Flies" to really analyze what the story is saying.
    • 4/5
      4Q 3PTold from the perspective of Agnes, a young school girl, this story kicks off when one of her classmates declares that nothing matters and nothing is worth doing. After his declaration, he leaves class, climbs a plum tree and stays there (occasionally chucking plumbs at his former classmates). Agnes and the other children are not only amazed, but appalled by this announcement and try to convince him that he is wrong. They start collecting their favorite treasures and leaving them at the base of the tree. It starts small with discarded or broken items, moves on to favorite items or pets, and then goes even further to the realm of the truly disturbing. I really and truly enjoyed this book. It was dark and disturbing and often made my skin crawl, but it also took a deeper look at the fragility of our 'humanity' and how easy it is to revert to utter savagery. The story itself (or at least the English translation) is told in very simple, direct language but exudes a sort of creepy, animalistic feel. Similar in tone and feel to The Lord of the Flies, this is an excellent read for anyone with a hankering for some dark and depraved philosophical debate.
    • 2/5
      VOYA 3Q, 2P This book takes a dark view of human nature. This is Lord of the Flies meets Waiting for Godot. It can certainly be read as a metaphor for the flawed nature of religion as well. Wouldn't read it again.
    • 3/5
      3Q, 3PMy tastes in general seem to gravitate towards the dark and disturbing, so I was hoping to really like this book. All in all, I didn't. The characters all felt really flat and one-dimensional to me. I didn't connect with the narrator at all; it might have been third person for all the influence she had over me. I think for this to have been effective for me there would have had to have been a character present who grew more and more horrified as the sacrifices grew in significance, rather than less and less as the characters in the story were. The entire story felt like it took place in a vacuum, from the growing lack of sympathy from all the children to the complete detachment of the parents (several people have mentioned it already, but why was Pierre Anthon allowed to stay up in this tree the whole time? Where are the adults?). I suppose a sympathetic narrator would have thrown off the group dynamics but as it is I feel like this is a world that could not exist. What works about Lord of the Flies is the isolation of the group on this island. The children of Nothing don't benefit from the same.
    • 3/5
      I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. While it was written well, it just left me feeling unsettled. Seventh grader Pierre announces one day to his classmates that life with without meaning, and then walks out. Weird right? Well it get's weirder, he confirms that every act is just inching everyone closer to death. This is pretty heavy thinking for a seventh grader. I just never think someone so young is going to find themselves in the midst of an existential crisis. Maybe it was lost in translation for me?
    • 5/5
      After one boy decides that life means nothing and leaves school to sit in a tree, the other kids in his class decide to prove him wrong by creating a pile of things with meaning to them personally. As they pressure each other to give up more important and personal things, it becomes bloody and threatening until it can't be hidden anymore.
    • 4/5
      Whelp. That was … very Danish. Fuckin’ yikes. But also quite good!
    • 2/5
      This is my final Printz Honor book of this years winners. I had a feeling that this book was not going to be for me so I will fully admit that I definitely procrastinated on it.

      On the first day of school Pierre Anthon tells his fellow class mates that life is meaningless and leaves school. He spends his days sitting in a plum tree mocking his former class mates. His classmates can't take it and decide to make a heap of meaning to get him down. However who decides what really has meaning? The choices get darker and darker and things take a turn for the ugly as choices become motivated by revenge as much as meaning.

      I can absolutely see where this is a well written and important book but good lord was it not for me. The anger and pain that was being passed around just got to me after a while. I will admit that all of this books comparison's to Lord of the Flies has guilted me into adding that to my every growing insane TBR pile.
    • 4/5
      A depressing novel about an existential crisis gone far out of control. What will people, even children, not do to avoid the abyss of meaninglessness? According to this book, nothing is sacred when matched against the awesome power of nothingness.
    • 2/5
      A group of young teens attempts to prove that there are things in life that matter by creating a pile of meaning. Each member of the group is required to add an item of importance to the pile as requested by another group member. The novel quickly takes a dark turn as the requests become more and more extreme.I would not recommend this book, especially for the average pre-teen/teen - maybe for the gifted population as it deals with some heavy issues. The book was very disturbing!
    • 4/5
      A challenging read that explores difficult issues that must be addressed with teenagers - the power of peer pressure, the danger of revenge, the easy accessibility of violence, and the existential question of the meaning of life. The content and structure make this a book appropriate for gifted readers. I led a discussion on it with adults, and although many did not particularly enjoy the novel, we explored many important aspects. I would be very interested to see a high school student's reaction to the novel; I do think a mature and highly intelligent audience would be the most appropriate.
    • 1/5
      After discussing this book with my classmates, I can appreciate other opinions about the book. I personally wasn't a fan of this book. It was very disturbing and I couldn't get past some of the things I read.
    • 3/5
      I am really not quite sure what to say about Nothing; I am so torn how I actually feel about it. I really struggled getting into the story throughout the first few chapters, but as the story progressed I was so sickened and horrified, yet intrigued and captivated that I couldn't put the book down. I read it in a little under two hours because I just had to know how it ended. this very dark book definitely deals with questions young adults struggle with, "What really matters?". In a world where more and more teens are committing suicide, I was a little concerned about how someone with depressing thoughts would feel while reading this book and/or relating to characters such as Sofie, whose innocence was taken from her in a way like none of the others. I would definitely recommend to others, but I can not say that I would personally be able to read this book again.
    • 4/5
      1 star for having the most mismatched cover to content relationship ever.I can't say that I ENJOYED the bleak landscape of this work. However, Nothing asks questions of a younger audience that need to be addressed, and evokes discussions about philosophical modes of thought of which the younger generation needs to be aware.I would absolutely give this to a thoughtful reader who is capable of reading beyond the violence and ask the important questions that this text begs.
    • 1/5
      I had to force myself to finish this novel.
    • 4/5
      VOYA Ratings: 5Q, 4PHow do you respond to someone that tells you that life has no meaning? How do you convince someone of what is important in life when they stubbornly refuse to see any importance in life itself? These are the questions the classmates of Pierre Anthon ask themselves as they try to lure him down from the branches of a tree in which he has decided to take up residency after leaving school and professing that the is no point to anything. Quickly they strike upon an idea where the students must take it in turns to give up something important, something of great personal value that will demonstrate that life does indeed have meaning. However, their plan quickly grows dark and grisly in nature as each one is asked to give up something more and more personal to "the pile".A deeply philosophical work that asks some of the toughest and most fundamental questions of life as they are first encountered in youth. There is a morbid sense of impending dread that builds with each new sacrifice as offered up by the children and it is clear how shaken and disturbed they are as they begin to question whether Pierre Anthon may be right.
    • 5/5
      5Q 2P (my VOYA code) This book. Oh man. I loved it. And I am never going to read it ever again. Extremely well written but would probably only be popular for those with a specific interest in Lord of the Flies-ish novels. This book was a little triggering for me because it dealt with many of the issues that have been related to my own suicidal thoughts. I have always been a little obsessed with meaning and meaninglessness and what the purpose of being alive. This book was right in my interest area. Morbid, disturbing, slightly nightmarish, and existential. Nevertheless, some of the things I'm interested are not necessarily the best for me.
    • 3/5
      4Q 2PWhen a young adult named Pierre Anthon declares that life has no meaning and anyone who says otherwise is wrong, a group of his fellow students set out to prove him wrong. To do this, they assemble a collection of all the things that have meaning to them. As the collection grows, however, they have to wonder just how far they'll go to convince Pierre (or themselves) that life really is about more than just nothing.This book is beautifully written and very engaging.The only reason it probably won't be too popular with young adults is that it's very dark and is an in-depth exploration of nihilism versus materialism--thus the story doesn't stand up well on its own. Probably more for the older teen audience than the younger teen audience.
    • 3/5
      4Q 3P (My VOYA ratings). To say Nothing is dark is an understatement. In true Scandinavian literary form, we are taken to a stark, cold feeling place that ends up being part allegory, fable, and end's with a dash of Lord of the Flies. Seventh grader, Pierre-Anthon, decides there is no point to anything anymore and climbs up a tree deciding to stay there until someone can prove to him that there is reason for living. In there efforts to prove themselves, he watches his classmates destroy themselves. I give this book a 4 for quality, as I do think it is well written, but I didn't REALLY care about the characters. I give a 3 for popularity because I think it might be tough to get teens to read about nihilism.
    • 4/5
      I assigned this novel a VOYA quality rating of four because while it was well-written and compelling, I felt that something was lost in translation. In a novel with such heavy reliance on philosophical content, subtle nuances of the language would have to have been diminished when translated to English. The writing was obviously strong however and I enjoyed the buildup to the surprising climax of the novel. The VOYA popularity rating I assigned this novel was three. While many teens might relate to existential questions and a budding preoccupation with the nature of reality, I think the metaphorical and philosophical content may bore some younger readers. I also feel that some teen readers will find it difficult to follow the story for long enough to get hooked into the very exciting middle and conclusion of this fairly short novel. The audiobook was well done and I appreciated the voice of the narrator.
    • 4/5
      4Q, 3PIn this gripping story about Pierre Anthon and his bold statement of "nothing matters" so he goes up into a plum tree and refuses to come down even though his seventh grade classmates throw plums at him to come down. The risks his classmates take to prove to Pierre Anthon that indeed life does have meaning takes readers on one haunting ride. Soon a pile of things that matter are created and each time something is added it is more and more meaningful and harder for the students to give up. Some are even horrifying.A great book for any teen to find a connection to and relate to the story. The level of depth that can be found in this story gives readers a chance for rich discussion.
    • 4/5
      In "Nothing," Janne Teller integrates a compelling plot with the existential questions about how to find and define meaning. In what starts as a quest to convince a classmate and themselves that life is meaningful after all, a group of middle schoolers in Denmark make sacrifices of increasingly disturbing proportions. Readers and characters alike will wonder when and why the sacrifices will finally stop, and what will be lost by the time they do. Teller's insights into motivations of her characters and the simple yet profound writing make this novel and excellent read.3P, 4Q