A Tale for the Time Being
Books | Fiction / Literary
4.3
(1.7K)
Ruth Ozeki
A brilliant, unforgettable novel from bestselling author Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and EmptinessFinalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award“A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.”In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine. Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.Full of Ozeki’s signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.
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Author
Ruth Ozeki
Pages
432
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2013-03-12
ISBN
1101606258 9781101606254
Ratings
Google: 3.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"A young Japanese girl’s diary washes up on the beach of an island in Desolation Sound, British Columbia and thus begins the mystery of who and how and why. This one was a bit a of a mind-bender and loved the “wait-a-minute” moments where the stories of the diarist and the diary-finder paralleled each other separated by years and distance."
Jackie Davidson
"From quantum mechanics to ecology this book covers just about anything that helps benefit the environment and has informational japanese terms. It covers deep topics that are true in society. It is dual pov. I had the chance to meet the author and she signed my book! Remember you are a time- being."
Marilyn A.
"Incredibly poignant and tender. A story that exists in the past, present, and future, we see both the brutality and the beauty of what it means to exist in this world. Narrator Nao is incredibly endearing, raw, and real. I felt an intense emotional connection to this book and it’s ideals. It is very thought provoking, haunting, and gratifying. "
Emily
"This one's a page-turner! Such a unique story containing so many different elements. I really enjoyed the alternating pov between the writer (Nao) and reader (Ruth). Nao's voice contains humour, sadness and hope (sometimes all in the same passage). The content can be very triggering (suicide, bullying, rape, prostitution, but particularly surrounding the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers during WWII). Also, Jiko and Haruki #1 🥺❤ Highly recommend. Bonus points for the "now" portion taking place in BC 🌲🍁"
Fiona
"One of the best audio book listens I've encountered. So much culture and varied perspectives, and beautifully narrated by the author (who says something along the lines the books come to life when read out loud). I couldn't recommend this book enough, especially for anyone who can feel a bit down in the dumps."
Hillary Hayes
"Not only is the book written in a unique format, but it also kept me guessing the whole time on what would happen next. It is definitely worth the read!!"
Book Obsessed
"5/5 Incredibly unique in writing style, form, and plot. Tells history in an intimate way, making the reader feel a deeper connection and emotional reaction to it. This book is so human, like a friend."
Annabelle
"SPOILER WARNING ⚠️
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this book is my all time favorite and id love to read it for the first time all over again! i love the different perspectives of both characters, Ruth and Nao. although i really thought Ruth was going to find Nao or her family somehow in the end 😭. im not disappointed though, i really loved diving into both character’s lives and getting to know them. overall a well-written novel, 11/10! "
mish
"This book took me to completely unexpected places. This was a book I randomly decided to get while looking through the shelves based on the artwork alone. I had never heard of it and felt spontaneous. I chose not to even read about the plot. So glad I picked it up! Thought provoking, emotional, and at times torturously suspenseful. The reader finds themself engrossed in the mysterious fate of Nao, a complex and heartbreakingly troubled young teen facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, and the uncontrollable choices of others. As life brings her to her knees, we read about her most painful of moments through her eyes and will her on. This is a powerful one. Highly recommend! "
Sadie Pennell
"Oh my. I became a huge fan of Ozeki’s humor and cross- cultural insight after reading her debut, [b:My Year of Meats|12349|My Year of Meats|Ruth Ozeki|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388513889l/12349._SY75_.jpg|265218]. She fell off my radar after that, but this intense, heartbreaking and yet spiritually uplifting story elevates her into my personal pantheon. Skillfully blending 3 time periods, a half dozen characters in contemporary and WWII era Japan, as well as the US, Ozeki explores grief, alienation, suicide, war, and the exquisite agony of parenthood in luminous prose. The discovery of hidden letters and diaries and the interweaving of narratives reminded me of Antonia Byatt’s [b:Possession|41219|Possession|A.S. Byatt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391124124l/41219._SY75_.jpg|2246190], yet this is an entirely orignal and iconoclastic creation. A well-deserved Pulitzer Prize winner."
Lesley Williams