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jameslyons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, and Colonisation
rachaele's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Bullying and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Rape
mateoj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I hesitate to compare this to Murakami because I don't want to fall into the "Japanese authors is the same" trap, but fuck it. A Tale for the Time Being is what I wanted and did not get from Murakami: strange, metaphysical, and surreal without sacrificing coherency and humanity. All too often fiction like this forgeos the beating heart of the story in favor of being as mindfucky as possible, and one of my favorite things about A Tale for the Time Being is how it refuses to let go of the human feelings and needs at its core. The meta-narrative is extremely well done, and manages to make as much sense as it possibly can, without losing any of its surreality or weirdness. What a masterpiece.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Violence, Trafficking, and War
zw_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and War
eleven_hummingbird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The novel is split between two perspectives. Roughly half the narrative follows Ruth (author's stand-in?) and her husband in a rural, westcoast village, reading the washed-up diary of Nao, a Tokyo teenager. Although seemingly distant in both space and time, the stories of these two women progressively entangle about each other.
I found Ruth's narrative less interesting as it largely consists of her reflecting on Nao's diary with her husband. Unfortunately, Ruth is a bit slow witted and misses obvious points, while her husband is often reduced to mansplaining.
In contrast, Nao's narrative is dark and gritty, but also full of humor. From depression, suicide, bullying, loneliness, and sexual violence, Nao's diary entries recount her daily struggles, alongside her attempts to find peace and happiness despite her crummy life.
The stories of these two characters gradually converge until a sudden, down-the-rabbit-hole spiral that thrusts them together. The magical realism is alluded to throughout the novel prior, but this moment felt rather sudden, even jarring.
A slow-burn, and well worth the read.
That said, I listened to the audiobook, read by the author. Hearing an author read their work can really help it to shine, and Ozeki's reading is delightful. Apparently, the printed text has illustrations and footnotes that cannot translate to audio format, so I may revisit this book later.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
deannamullican's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
m4rtt4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
chalkletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
When I actually started reading, A Tale for the Time Being didn’t captivate me immediately. Nao’s schoolgirl philosophical ramblings weren’t particularly charming and it was hard to get a grip on where the story was going. It wasn’t until Ruth decided to try reading Nao’s diary ‘in real time’ (one of Nao’s entries for each of Ruth’s days) that I started to get interested, though the plot was still murky.
The structure, going back and forth between Nao’s story and Ruth researching Nao’s story, worked surprisingly well, and I liked the conceit of Ruth’s footnotes explaining Nao’s specifically Japanese references. I did find the Appendices a bit troublesome, because I think I missed the instruction to go read some of them, but they also weren’t that engaging to read, even though the information was relevant.
Like The Gallows Pole, A Tale for the Time Being ended up being much darker than I anticipated, though I found Ruth Ozeki’s descriptions more visceral and thus more disturbing. It wasn’t an easy read, and the uncertain line between reality and fiction added its own sense of confusion, which made the magical elements less delightful than they might have been.
This is the second book I’ve reviewed to heavily feature meditation techniques; the sections of A Tale for the Time Being that Nao spent in her grandmother’s temple were what I most enjoyed reading. (And I did appreciate that Ruth also tried sitting zazen but kept falling asleep.)
A Tale for the Time Being was an interesting book, and I think I’ll keep hold of it for at least a little while, but I don’t know if it’s a book I’d want to return to often.
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, and War
Minor: Death and Death of parent
franklola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting