A Tale for the Time Being

By: Ruth Ozeki

Narrated by: Ruth Ozeki

Short-listed, Man Booker International Prize

A brilliant, unforgettable, and long-awaited novel from best-selling author Ruth Ozeki

"A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be."

In Tokyo, 16-year-old Nao has decided there's only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates' bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who's lived more than a century. A diary is Nao's only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.

Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao's drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.

Full of Ozeki's signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and listener, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.

©2013 Ruth Ozeki (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“An exquisite novel: funny, tragic, hard-edged and ethereal at once.”—David Ulin, Los Angeles Times

“As contemporary as a Japanese teenager’s slang but as ageless as a Zen koan, Ruth Ozeki’s new novel combines great storytelling with a probing investigation into the purpose of existence. . . . She plunges us into a tantalizing narration that brandishes mysteries to be solved and ideas to be explored. . . . Ozeki’s profound affection for her characters makes A Tale for the Time Being as emotionally engaging as it is intellectually provocative.”—The Washington Post

“A delightful yet sometimes harrowing novel . . . Many of the elements of Nao’s story—schoolgirl bullying, unemployed suicidal ‘salarymen,’ kamikaze pilots—are among a Western reader’s most familiar images of Japan, but in Nao’s telling, refracted through Ruth’s musings, they become fresh and immediate, occasionally searingly painful. Ozeki takes on big themes . . . all drawn into the stories of two ‘time beings,’ Ruth and Nao, whose own fates are inextricably bound.”—The New York Times Book Review

Absolutely wonderful!

Such great characters living in different worlds. Enjoyed the insight into World War 2 and also the life of Buddhist nuns, and life on a small Canadian island. So interesting and so many voices. I just loved this book.

I LOVED IT. My wife ... well, didn't.

This is an engrossing tale for those who are patient, who embrace ambiguity in art and life, and who know some mysteries are just that ... Mysteries.

But, if you like to read the end of a book first (as my favorite person does), don't do it. Just take the ride and see where this story takes you.

(Not a book for young teens.)

Beautiful

What a lovely, honey-smooth voice Ruth Ozeki has! I am so glad she chose to narrate this beautiful book. I absolutely loved the experience of listening to the long, immersive tale on my walks to work and back home.

A creative blend of physics, culture & characters

This is a very creative, quirky tale that blends quantum physics, believable dialogue, interesting characters and different cultures with thoughts on the meaning of time, life and death. The author does a lovely narration.

An Amazing Story Beautifully Read by the Author

If you could sum up A Tale for the Time Being in three words, what would they be?

Unexpected stories juxtaposed.

What other book might you compare A Tale for the Time Being to and why?

This is quite a unique read.

Which character – as performed by Ruth Ozeki – was your favorite?

The two narrators, Nao and Ruth, are both exceptionally performed by Ozeki. In fact, the reading of this book by the author is so well done that some of the meaning would be lost if one simply read the book alone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of Jiko was quite moving and how it brings Nao closer to her father.

Love to hear the author reading

I didn't want to stop listening. Every word was fascinating. Loved the story! I wanted it to keep going.

Quite incredible

“A Tale for the Time Being” is quite incredible. It is the best-read book I’ve ever listened to, with each character's personality coming alive as they speak. The book has an intriguing plot encompassing Zen philosophy, nature factoids, community, relationships, suicide, kindness and torture, fluidity of time and intention… and so much more. I'm tempted to listen all over again to catch some of the nuance that flew over my head this first time.

Beautiful Writing

This book does a wonderful job explaining the differences between Western and Japanese culture-the good and bad of both. I really enjoyed listening. This is a story that will stay with me.

Fascinating exploration of minds

I was enthralled with the mystery and points of view in "A Tale for the Time Being". Listening to the author read the story added awhile other dimension that was quite enjoyable.

Haunting and beautiful a treasure for all time

I loved this book. ❤️❤️❤️ I couldn't put it down. It has a life of it's own, and almost brings you into it. Potent, cosmic, dark, and, whimsical. It's a book I will return to again and again.