A review by kimnlove56
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

dark mysterious reflective 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 started off as a dreary read, sure to be a slog to get through. The early chapters outlining physical and emotional abuse at the hands of the diarist's bullies, as well as her outward annoyance at her father's suicidal attempts, were relentlessly dark if slightly unbelievable in scope. But once it became clear that there was more going on in the relationship between what was written in the past and what was being read in the present, there was a real lightness to the material that kept me coming back to finish it off. The subject matter never really lightens up, but there begins to be a feeling of hope and peace woven through the latter stages of the book. Typically a story featuring a mysteriously self-altering found journal and/or quantum mechanic thought experiments and/or Zen Buddhist meditations would, almost by design, have me dismissing the book. The meta I-novel-ness, which has the author as a main character in this story, grounds the story when some of the fantastic elements could have it veering off into something entirely too unreal. Overall, not a book I should be into, but really enjoyed in the end. I could see myself adding a half star or more, as I continue to think this one over.
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