A Tale for other Time Beings

A Tale for the time being is mostly set in the 21st Century in Japan and Canada. The dominance of the setting changes with the location. The Iceland where Ruth lives felt very clear to me. HOWEVER, This could be Because I've already been to British Columbia and Vancouver Iceland and know what the landscape looks like. Ie But the temple in Japan and its surroundings were clear, in contrast to Tokyo, Which Seemed blurry to me. Ms. Ozeki therefore uses the weather to create and intensify mood Especially in Ruths chapters. I really like this concept.

The two main characters are Nao and Ruth. Even though Nao is 16 years old, she Often acts like she is 14 or younger but on the other hand, she does her childish behavior Things That fit (in my opinion) dont. Well, lets say, Nao has problems, Which is hardly Surprising if you read her story. Nevertheless, Naos character wasnt always very believable Throughout the book. I preferred Ruth. Her character Seems to lead a steady life, but if you take a closer look, it isnt all roses. Ruth is fascinated by Naos diary and wants to know all about that girl from Japan. I was really able to connect with Ruth, at least until the last few pages. Two other characters did I think were great Naos are father and Haruki Naos great-grandmother Jiko.

Now on to the hardest part (at least for me). The story. For the first ~ 125 pages, I had massive problems getting into the book. I was thinking about giving up on reading, Because I didnt care what what going to happen to Nao or to anyone else in the book. The only thing That kept me going what the factthat I hardly give up on a book. So I read on and it did get better. I finally wanted to know about Naos (and her fathers) fate. Sometimes, I even felt distracted by Ruths story between Naos passages. But there were silent Things That I didnt like. There was too much talk of Zen Buddhism in the book and, unfortunately, the book started to get quite boring again towards the end (even though I like the main idea of ​​the ending). Maybe A Tale for the time being just wasnt meant for a time being like me.