Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

“A Tale for the Time Being, a novel that borrows its title from Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore, is Ruth Ozeki’s experiment in bending reader’s expectations, as well as time and space itself. The story follows Ruth, the fictional narrator, who discovers a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore of her island home in British Columbia. Inside is the diary of a girl by the name of Nao, who details her struggles of moving back to Tokyo after living in Silicon Valley. As Ruth reads through Nao’s story, so do we, the readers, experience the double pain of each narrator’s isolation in her respective environment. Full of subtle magic and eloquent wisdom, this novel is one from the last few years that is not to be missed.” — Luke