must read for both fans of "The Bright Sessions" and new fans

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As a long-time listener of The Bright Sessions podcast, I knew I had to read The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen. But other details drew me in, such as the visually-appealing colorful cover, and the promise of a story about Caleb, a teen empath. I was not disappointed when I began reading the story about Caleb and Adam, which switches between their perspectives. I “flew” through the book while on a flight, and I have put it on my “read again” list and it sticks in my mind and my heart.

Lauren Shippen captures the experience and voice of being a teenager perfectly: all the insecurities, overwhelming moments, worries, but also the joy and positive aspects. She does this through football player Caleb who also happens to be an atypical; his “superpower” is that he can feel everyone else’s emotions on top of his own. In this aspect, it is nice to have listened to the podcast because Shippen does not go in-depth about being an atypical, but this serves Caleb’s perspective well as someone who is not told much at first about his powers and then slowly learns more about the world of atypicals, that is, the world of The Bright Sessions.

I noticed the way Shippen introduces Caleb and Adam is extremely effective and realistic since she switches chapters between their two perspectives. Everything about the ways they interact with and notice each other reveal parts of their characters. Her portrayal of Adam’s depression is raw and powerful, from the way his parents “deal” with it to the way that Caleb feels it in waves of crushing emotion, an ocean metaphor. This portrayal really resonated with me, along with the emotions in the rest of the book. There may be a possible trigger warning for self-harm mentions and the emotions/reasoning behind SH.

This book is a must-read for fans of the podcast and readers who have never heard of it. Shippen’s writing evokes emotions and draws the reader into a well-crafted world. For Caleb, emotions have become his whole world because of his atypical power, and the way Shippen describes how he feels them is accurate and understanding. This book and its honest portrayal of growing up and teenage emotions stick with me as a teen reader. I absolutely loved it.