No – I didn’t jump in – I did a cannonball. It’s been awhile since I’ve jumped into a story with this much emotion. And all of this is masterfully shared by the author. You might reread that list, thinking “that can’t be right – how many books did Elizabeth actually read here?” But it does cover everything I’ve listed. Incredibly, A Tale For The Time Being encompasses bullying, loneliness, Zen Buddhism, writer’s block, the afterlife, War, Alzheimer’s, the environment, the metaphysical world and quantum physics. But how? Was this journal swept to Ruth’s shore by the 2011 tsunami? How can she know if Nao finds help? Finds support? Will Nao find her own “Super Power” with the help of her great-grandmother? Most importantly, is Nao alive? As the story of Nao’s life unfolds in her journal, Ruth slowly but surely becomes frantic in her wish to help. Her only solace is her darling 104-year old great-grandmother Jiko, a Buddhist Monk who sweetly and patiently shares her benevolent wisdom. Her school days are packed with the most inhuman classmates your mind can fathom. By reading this teen’s heartbreaking story, the writer, named Ruth, breathes life into this lost soul across the ocean.

A writer on an isolated Canadian island finds that journal, along with other items, on the shore near her home. A 16-year old girl in Tokyo starts a journal, and pens an unflinching look at her life. I’m sure you’ve heard what this novel is about. You won’t be the same when it’s complete. If you pick up this 2013 Man Booker shortlisted title, I promise that you will feel submerged by the tale. This is one of those novels that you finish and look around, blinking, just a little stunned that you’re no longer in the author’s world. Audiobook Narrated by Ruth Ozeki 2013 /14 hours and 45 minutes

A tale for the time being meaning