The Book of Form and Emptiness

The crows that live near Annabelle and Benny’s house, as well as the crow that instigates Aikon’s first visit to a Buddhist temple, are a motif of change in The Book of Form and Emptiness. Each time a crow appears in a scene, immense change happens for the characters, such as Kenji’s death, Annabelle’s fall down the stairs, and Aikon becoming a Buddhist monk. Aikon herself believes that the crow that stole her tiara and led her to the temple was a bodhisattva, or an enlightened being dedicated to helping guide others along their spiritual path. Furthermore, the crows protect both Kenji and Annabelle when they fall near the house, covering them with their own bodies until the moment another character—the delivery truck drive and No-Good, respectively—arrive and instigate a drastic change.

Crows are intelligent, and the novel shows them to be empathetic, as well as mysterious. Their involvement in key moments of transformation for the characters hints at the novel’s magical realism, in which the crows are symbolic guides for the characters, particularly Aikon and Annabelle. The gifts they bring Annabelle when she feeds them represent their emotional connection to her and Kenji.