The Infinite Noise

By: Lauren Shippen

"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."

*Sharp Inhale*

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow....

This book was so good! The only thing that makes me upset is that after reading this -or after reading any good book, to be honest- it's hard to find something else that'll live up to it.

I just read something that made me cry because I was so happy. I have a long, long, LONG book hunt ahead of me. But that's beside the point...

The point is that this book is one of the most touching, beautiful, gorgeous -yet not overly emotional- books that I've ever read. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!

So, let's get down to business!

Writing Style:

I got into 'The Infinite Noise' pretty quickly. It's written in first-person point of view. For me, it wasn't hard to relate to the characters, even if their backstories didn't match mine. The writing style definitely deserves a 10/10.

Another thing about 'The Infinite Noise' is that it has alternating point of views. The book starts off with a chapter from Caleb's point of view, and then switches over to Adam in the next chapter. Then that pattern continues on for the rest of the book. In general, I'm not the biggest fan of books that focus on more than one POV. 'The Infinite Noise' is an exception. The writing and the pattern really flowed, and I got to experience the emotions and feelings of both protagonists. It wasn't rushed, and it also didn't keep me waiting for the other protagonist.

'The Infinite Noise' has a writing style that's definitely worth reading!

Protagonists

We have two protagonists! What fun!

The first protagonist we're introduced to is Caleb Michaels, who is an empath -he can feel other people's emotions as his own. This causes him to have a lot of mood swings.

Then we have Adam. Adam's really smart. He's the son of two scientists, and he kind of already has a crush on Caleb. ( Which Caleb never noticed. Idiot *shakes head affectionately* ). Adam is bullied at school, but he never fails to stand up for himself -even if it doesn't work. He has depression.

Adam and Caleb are my little angels. Seriously! For the past few months, I've been coming across character after character that keep on earning places in my personal 'Protagonist Hall of Fame'.

Adam and Caleb aren't one of those cheap characters who basically have the same personality as each other. They have feelings and emotions that I can relate to. They're wonderful and unique and satisfying. I loved them, and I'm sure that you will too!

Plot

So, keep in mind that this book is marked as fantasy/sci-fi only because of Caleb being an Atypical and having the ability to feel other people's emotions. Other than that, it consists a lot of Caleb getting control of his powers and be-friending Adam, as well as Adam getting his own emotions under control. I won't say that it's entirely "plot less". It gives more focus to the character's feelings and emotions rather than an actual plot -I'll give you that. Other than Caleb being an "empath", this book could have easily become realistic fiction.

I don't know about you, or your preferences in books, but standing beside Adam and Caleb throughout the book was definitely worth it.

So...

I think that the biggest part you should look into before reading this is the plot. Even though 'The Infinite Noise' is rightly marked fantasy/sci-fi, it can seem a bit misleading. It has more of a realistic-fiction plot: nothing with action or adventure, etc. It focuses more on the protagonist's emotional journeys. I personally think that 'The Infinite Noise' is worth your time, but if this book's plot might not suit your preferences. Other than that, this book is 100% amazing!

Thank you for reading my book review! You have no idea how much I appreciate you reading this. If you have any questions to ask, opinions to share, etc., then leave a comment below!

Bonus Time: Do you guys think that I use the word "definitely" too much?

Bonus Time: *If you read the book* On a scale of one to ten, how much did you like this book?

Me:

~ WritingLightning