Reviews with content warning for Bullying - A Tale for the Time Being

Nao’s story—and her family’s—had me hooked. Her raw, unapologetic writing style and the layered storytelling were absolutely mesmerizing. I couldn’t get enough of it.

But then there’s Ruth… like, why? I was seriously tempted to skim her chapters entirely. And let’s be real—I don’t think I would’ve missed much.

You can tell Ozeki is incredibly talented, crafting so many distinct voices and characters. But Ruth? She just fell flat and pointless, almost draining the life from the narrative.

Sure, Ruth’s sections added some insight into Nao’s life and her father’s story, but honestly,

Ozeki could have done that in a much more compelling way—like introducing raw emails from her father. We’ve already got letters and diaries, so why not throw in emails as a modern touch?

And sometimes, the book felt like it was trying too hard to be clever, without much payoff.

In the end, Nao: 5/5, Ruth: 2/5. I guess that averages out to a 3.5/5 (though don’t quote me on my math).

Content Warnings

layeredirony's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

my heart went out to nao but i did feel slightly disconnected with ruth & oliver. i enjoyed the story a lot and i love how you peel back layers of who these people are as the book progresses and even towards the very end. i think the characterizations for nao's side of the story are strong, and are definitely stronger vs the characterizations for the characters in ruth's story.

tbh parts did confuse me esp with the stuff about quantum mechanics/physics in the latter part, and idk if i really completely understood the book haha but i learned a lot from reading nao's story and how her character develops throughout the book. i really liked jiko and haruki #1, especially reading the latter's diaries! it was very thought-provoking reading his thoughts about humanity in the time of war.

my heart broke with haruki #2. and on that note, i really like the little detail of members of the family sharing similarities!

i was happy with the ending -

it felt like they each got a good ending without being overly cheesy/cliche (e.g. them meeting in person)

.

overall, not my fave but im happy i read this! learned a lot through the characters' experiences and left me with a lot of thoughts re: time and humanity to ponder on.

Content Warnings

More...