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

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

 My partner read this for a class and recommended it to me, and she has very smart things to say about this novel like
how Ozeki uses quantum theory to challenge how we, as readers, understand novels as an art form of many worlds, how Ozeki recontextualizes folks who have Alzheimer's' and their experiences by putting us in Ruth's (the character's) shoes, how Ozeki connects Japanese generational ennui and Buddhist philosophy to WW2 patriotism and that suicide is a through-line in Japanese sociopolitical history,
but what I have to say about this novel is thus: 
Oh boy! I cried my eyes out in the last third, and the epilogue just about killed me. It's good. Nao's story hurts to read, and what stops me from making this a 5 is that Ruth and Oliver's story never grabbed me like Nao's. I found myself wanting to get through their story ASAP to get back to Nao. I didn't get attached to them, and their relationship and their stories... just didn't land for me. 
Great book! You should read it.
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