A Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki entangles the diary of Nao, a sixteen year old girl in Japan, with the story of Ruth, a woman living on a small Canadian island who finds the diary washed ashore, preserved inside a Hello Kitty lunchbox in a freezer bag alongside another smaller diary, a set of letters, and a watch. ⁣
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From the outset Ozeki situates the story with her decision to name one of her protagonists Ruth, and continues to write her own life into the story in an uncommon fashion. Her two protagonists come to life on the page, and I sunk deep into their stories, full of curiosity and in awe of the many layers to this story. This book was quite different from my expectations, but certainly met them for quality. Smart and spiritual and deeply satisfying, give me literary fiction with a little speculative quantum component ANY DAY. My mind is aflame and I love it. ⁣
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Cw for suicide, assault, sexual assault