A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth OzekiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hooter: A philosophical existential view shared through the life of two protagonists separated by an ocean.
From a Japanese American writer Ruth living in British Columbia who stumbles onto a bag that has washed ashore from Japan across the ocean, possibly after the earthquake. The owner of the bag and the letters is a 16 year old Nao who moved to Tokyo from America after her father was caught up in the dot com bubble and had to head back home to make ends meet. Not fitting in, she moves to her grandmother's - a nun turning 104 who is her rock of wisdom and guidance. Through these parallel storylines - the author tries to capture so much - Zen buddhism, quantum physics, kamikaze pilots and the chaos of Tokyo juxtaposed with the calmness of Vancouver island. Finally it is an ode to living in the present but knowing the past is going to stick around forever.
Overall the blandness of Ruth's story adds more flavour to Nao's and thats the balance I had to toil through at times especially the ending leaves the book on a low after the brilliant expectations it set at the start.
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