At first I didn't know if I was going to like this book, but by the end I really loved it. It's one of those stories that gets deeper and deeper as it's told, and Ozeki is really great at putting in subtle hints about what's going on behind the surface of the story. It's hard to say much about the plot without giving away the story, but basically a woman named Ruth in coastal Canada discovers the diary of a Japanese teenager named Nao, and the book is a back and forth explanation of both of their stories.

There's a lot of similarities to Murakami's work — fantastical elements of the plot, strange dreams, interesting games with time — which made for a unique read. And while the book covers some seriously heavy topics, somehow the end result is poignant, not depressing.