In her debut novel, The Infinite Noise (based on her podcast The Bright Sessions), Lauren Shippen delves into the complex nature of empathy.
While noticing and reacting to others' emotions is not uncommon, feeling them physically is certainly out of the ordinary. Sixteen-year-old Caleb Michaels has this extraordinary ability and often finds it difficult to discern his own emotions from those of others. He seeks the help of Dr. Bright, a therapist who specializes in treating Atypicals, "people who are able to do things that the average human cannot." Dr. Bright explains to Caleb that he is an empath and suggests he reach out to Adam, a student suffering from severe depression; Caleb balks at the idea. Earlier, Caleb stood up to a student bullying Adam and blurted out, "Can't you see he's sad enough?"--Caleb is afraid his presence will make Adam feel worse than he already does. Much to his surprise, Adam's feelings instead provide a sense of relief from the emotive onslaught Caleb constantly feels, while Adam begins to feel less alone through Caleb's friendship. But as Adam and Caleb grow closer, Caleb begins to experience the more disturbing aspects of being an Atypical.
The Infinite Noise is written from both Caleb and Adam's perspectives, giving the reader an intimate understanding of the connection the two characters share. Shippen's frequent use of vivid imagery to describe Caleb's frustration with being an empath and Adam's overwhelming sadness and exhaustion is evocative without being overwrought. This immersive first book in an upcoming series is unlike any story about people with superpowers readers have encountered before. Note that listening to The Bright Sessions podcast before reading The Infinite Noise isn't necessary, but it may help ground readers in Shippen's atypical world. --Rachel Firman, age 17