A Tale for the Time Being - Softcover

Praise for "A Tale for the Time Being"
"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"
"Sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Nao Yasutani's voice is the heart and soul of this very satisfying book. . . . The contemporary Japanese style and use of magical realism are reminiscent of author Haruki Murakami."
"--USA Today"
"A terrific novel full of breakthroughs both personal and literary. . . . Ozeki revels in Tokyo teen culture--this goes far beyond Hello Kitty--and explores quantum physics, military applications of computer video games, Internet bullying, and Marcel Proust, all while creating a vulnerable and unique voice for the sixteen-year-old girl at its center. . . . Ozeki has produced a dazzling and humorous work of literary origami. . . . Nao's voice--funny, profane and deep--is stirring and unforgettable as she ponders the meaning of her life."
"--The Seattle Times"
"Beautifully wr

A novelist on a remote island in the Pacific is linked to a bullied and depressed Tokyo teenager after discovering a Hello Kitty lunchbox that washed ashore in this new novel from the award-wining, best-selling author of My Year of Meats. (general fiction).