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

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

A Tale for the Time Being follows Ruth on Vancouver Island as she is reading the old diary of a young girl in Japan. In the present, Ruth struggles to write her next novel while exploring Nao's world. In the diary, Nao writes about her experiences at home and at school, with a focus on a growing relationship with her amazing grandmother. 

Readers switch between Ruth's perspective and Nao's first-person diary, but the diary chapters are full of footnotes with Ruth's comments. It creates a really unique and intimate reading experience where, when reading the diary, you not only feel like you are in the shoes of Nao, but also that you are in the shoes of Ruth as she is reading.

I loved this book. It is immersive and the format, characters, and the element of magical realism mystery are all incredibly compelling. However, this is a hard and painful book with detailed descriptions and reflections on TW
war, natural disasters, bullying, sexual violence and exploitation, poverty, and suicide
. But, without minimizing these topics, Ozeki brings in reflective moments informed by her Buddhism and genuine moments of connection that balance these hard topics with hope.  

The book is definitely slow, but I enjoyed the pacing aside from finding it too slow in one or two places. 
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