The Infinite Noise: A Bright Sessions Novel

· The Bright Sessions Book 1 · Sold by Tor Teen
4.7
19 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Lauren Shippen's The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut novel based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.

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.

“What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox on The Bright Sessions)

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

4.7
19 reviews
Debbie Cancel
July 1, 2019
I hadn't heard of or listened to the podcast this book is based off of so this review won't stem from that. This book wasn't what I was expecting but it was good nonetheless. You read teenagers with powers so you're thinking perhaps some action will be involved..and you'd be thinking wrong. But, I repeat, that's not a bad thing in this case. Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager in high school is hard. Being a teenager in high school and finding out you have powers is crazy and hard. Being a teenager in high school and finding out your superpower is to sense others emotions around you is beyond bananas. Teenagers are nothing if not rockets of emotions from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. I haven't been a teenager for some time but I remember..oh I remember. lol I love that Caleb went to therapy and wasn't sent of somewhere instead. It showed his struggle between finding out which were his own feelings and which were not. I like that it wasn't just Caleb's POV but Adam's as well. His chapters bought a nice balance to Calebs. A story about two young boys finding their way to each other...and I enjoyed it. Even though it was a tad slow. That's why a four star instead of five. It was missing a bit of something. Nevertheless, a book i feel should be read especially by the teenagey folk.
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Brittany Colpitts
September 6, 2019
I’ve been looking forward to reading The Infinite Noise since it was announced. I decided to hold off on listening to the podcast; I wanted to see if the book would hold up on its own and I’m pleased to say that it did! Not only does this story have some amazing LGBTQA+ representation, it also touches on the topic of mental illness in a way that’s totally unique. It was refreshing to see a character enjoy and recognize the benefits of therapy. Plus, the parallel between Caleb’s power and Adam’s depression allows for some amazing character development. At times, Caleb’s insight made me feel genuinely bad for characters I thought were totally irredeemable. It made me question myself, and the people I knew in high school. I’m looking forward to the next book and plan to download the podcast in the future.
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About the author

LAUREN SHIPPEN, author of The Infinite Noise, is a writer best known for her work in fiction podcasts. She is the creator and sole writer of the popular audio drama, The Bright Sessions. She went on to executive produce The AM Archives and co-produce Passenger List before founding Atypical Artists, a company dedicated to audio storytelling. She wrote MARVELS, an audio adaptation of the popular comic, released in 2019 by Marvel and Stitcher. Lauren was named one of Forbes's 2018 30 Under 30 in Media and one of MovieMaker Magazine's and Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch. She was born in New York City and grew up in Bronxville, New York. She currently lives in Los Angeles but travels frequently to New York.

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