Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - A Tale for the Time Being

Throughout the whole book all kinds of abuse was described, sometimes in great detail. It was horrifying and way too much for me. It ranged from suicidal thoughts, to bullying in school, to 9/11 and the 2011 tsunami.

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chalkletters's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

A Tale for the Time Being was a birthday or Christmas present many years, and at least one address, ago. It was chosen for me, not something I picked up myself, and so I had no expectations. The blurb gave very little away, but the book was shortlisted for the Man Book Prize, and I always try to read the books people give me (…eventually).

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.

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franklola's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

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bugcollector's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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schlinkles's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

I'm definitely late to the party, finally reading this now. It's hard to think of what to say about this book that so seamlessly entangles fiction and nonfiction, philosophy and physics, life and death. This was a book so unlike anything I've read before. It was challenging and enchanting. I had to stop several times while reading it to just really sit with what I had read and try to wrap my head around it. I'm not sure I've encountered a book that has such beautiful moments set against such disturbing descriptions of bullying and suicide. I read this in anticipation of Ruth Ozeki's new book coming out and now I'm even more excited to pick it up. She is still very unique and talented author.

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courtsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

There is such conflict in this book, in many ways. But it was a book that made you think and pay attention. For me, it was quite a unique read. How the interaction between the two main characters unfolds shows great thought om the author's behalf. I also appreciate greatly the research that went into this book as well and the detailed foot notes that helps the reader to understand. I found this book a challenge at times and it felt dense for where my head was at at the time, but I see and acknowledge that many have loved it. I would like to say that the rating is on me and does not truly reflect the book. But that it was I love, that readers see it differently. This book is full of struggles the characters face, but I found that Nao's thoughts were very developed for her age. The atmosphere the author created made the book engaging in a whole different way. The book was a mix of slow and speedy and often times, I wanted it the other way. For this, I felt lost at times.

This review feel a bit like a brain dump, but I feel I have a lot to get out about it. There were ups and downs to this book and currently, I am not sure where I stand on my thoughts of what weighed out.

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birdbrainbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the most challenging read I’ve had in a while! I definitely understand why it was Man Booker finalist. The writing is artful, strong, and unique. I tend not to love dual storylines/timelines which held true here—I don’t like getting settled into one storyline only to be pulled out and back into the other. I also tended to be much more engaged with Nao’s storyline set in Japan than Ruth’s storyline, although I did very much enjoy the sense of place in both and the side characters in Ruth’s. Definite trigger warnings throughout for suicide/suicidal thoughts and bullying, among other things. I’m not sure if I would continue reading more from this author—she is a fantastic talent but perhaps more literary and experimental for my personal taste. But I’m really glad I finished it and felt challenged in a new way.

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