A Tale for the Time Being
by Ruth Ozeki
A novel about time, memory, and meaning.
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what it’s about
A diary washes up on the shore inside a Hello Kitty lunchbox. That’s how this story begins simple and strange. A teenage girl in Tokyo, Nao, starts writing her story for someone, anyone, who might find it. Ruth, a writer living across the ocean, does.
From there, the book moves between their two lives. Nao writes about school, family, mental health, her Buddhist grandmother, and her kamikaze-uncle’s past. Ruth reads, wonders if it’s real, and starts to feel more connected than she expected.
The timelines blur. The story shifts back and forth. But at its heart, this is about what it means to be seen, and how writing can be a way of holding on.
my take
This was a slow read for me in the best way. I didn’t want to rush it. Some sections felt heavy and intimate, especially Nao’s. Other parts, Ruth’s especially, felt like they pulled back and gave space to think.
I liked the way it held different questions at once. About family, about being lost, about how stories find people. There’s a quiet confidence to how it unfolds. Not everything is answered, but it all felt intentional.
One of those books I didn’t expect to stick with me, but it did.
read this if you liked
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa — also about disappearance, grief, and the unreliability of time
Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin — slow, atmospheric, and deeply interior
where to read It:
Available at Bookshop.org, Amazon, or wherever you buy your books.
You can also join the conversation in the My Asian Era book club on Fable.
