A Tale for the Time Being

I enjoyed this one, and it gave me some strength in a time where I needed it. Ruth's parts are a little dull and drug out compared to Nao's parts, and the magical realism may be lost on some people but I liked it. Got me more into Zen Buddhism which has really helped in my healing journey as well.

I listened to the audio version of A Tale For The Time Being which is nicely read by Ruth Ozeki herself. There is an interesting few minutes after the novel finishes when she talks about the differences between the print and audio versions and I'm confident I chose the right one this time!

The novel is made up of several story strands and I found the Japanese characters fascinating. Nao and her family allows the reader to discover life in contemporary Japan, her great-uncles' letters and diary illuminate WW2 Japan, her great-great-aunt is a Buddhist nun in a temple. By contrast, the other side of the tale, Ruth and Oliver living on a Canadian island, I found irritating and, certainly in Oliver's case, pompous. He came across as a device to explain factual information the reader needed to know and Ruth as a bit of a dimwit on the receiving end of his lectures. Ozeki explores a lot of theories, environmental and scientific, philosophical and religious. Some of these slot naturally into a story, others felt awkwardly shoehorned. Overall I thought this was a good book, unusual enough to keep my interest while walking my commutes and I'm glad to have heard it read by the author.

A bit of a bleak story that I liked alright but which didn't sweep me off my feet. Japanese-American Ruth who lives on a remote Canadian island finds the diary of a Japanese teenager and is fully engrossed in Nao's story. Nao suffers from bullying at school, and has a suicidal, depressed father. She only takes joy in her 104 year old great-grandmother who is a Buddhist nun. We also learn a lot about Nao's uncle, a kamikaze pilot in WWII. Truly bleak stuff.

I have nothing else to say about it other than a vague feeling of confusion about the 'time being' parts at the end. I liked it enough, and that's about all I can say here.