A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

A strange novel which I loved at the beginning but which tapered off slightly.  There are two main characters in this book.  The first is Nao, a young Japanese girl who is forced to return to Tokyo from America after her father is made redundant and who starts to write a sort of diary/letter to an unidentified person to try and deal with the emotions which are engulfing her following the move to Japan.  The second character, Ruth is based on the author herself and is a Canadian woman living with her husband on a remote island who finds Nao's diary on the beach and as she reads it, finds herself increasingly drawn to Nao and her family.  I really enjoyed the interplay between the two characters but Nao's story is perhaps more interesting, particularly as she spends time in a Buddhist temple with her grandmother, Jiko, who is a fascinating character.  The writing in this book is simply but elegant and the plot unusual but engaging.  I did think that the narrative slowed a bit towards the end of this book but overall definitely worth reading.  Probably my second favourite on the Booker longlist, after We Need New Names.