A review by miak2
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

challenging funny 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? Yes

4.0

 
But memories are time beings, too, like cherry blossoms or ginkgo leaves; for a while they are beautiful, and then they fade and die.


A Tale for the Time Being was the most unique approach to a dual storyline I've seen. Present day, Ruth finds a washed-up lunchbox with a diary and some keepsakes. We follow her as she reads Nao's diary (the second perspective) and tries to uncover what's happened to Nao and her family in the time since. Nao's chapters were such a joy to listen to. She has so much personality right off the bat. Ozeki wrote those chapters in such a believable way, it really felt like listening to a real teenager talk. Nao was energetic and emotional. She spoke about the traumatic things that happened to her in such an introspective way, but also in a way that didn't feel like an adult writing a teenager. At sixteen, she'd already gone through so much, and I was proud to see how she grew in spite of the adversity she faced.

Ruth's chapters were a little less engaging, but no less grounded. She also had a strong voice, and I could imagine I'd react similarly to finding Nao's journal. I especially enjoyed glimpses of her domestic life with her husband, where you could tell there was a lot of love but not without some minor frustrations and squabbles.

One minor criticism I had with the book is that, at times, both Nao and Ruth had this mentality of "look how much harder someone else has had it, I shouldn't be upset over [x]." Despite so much positive discussion on isolation and mental health otherwise in the book, I think that's a dangerous way of thinking. Normal or rational, sure. I'm not mad about its inclusion, but rather that we didn't get any resolution of the characters learning, "no, my struggles aren't invalidated because of the severity of someone else's."

There were some magical realism elements towards the end that also didn't quite land for me, but it may also be something that didn't translate as well in the audiobook format. It got into some Schrödinger's cat analogies that just flew completely over my head. That said, I really enjoyed this reading experience. Nao, especially, is a character that I think will stick with me for a long time. 
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