“You know how good-byes feel. How the air gets excited when all its ions and electrical charges are disrupted, first by the intent to leave and later by the leaving itself. Then, when the bodies move away through space, they create empty pockets where feelings get caught and eddy around in the vacuum, creating little vortices of relief or sadness or confusion.”
In this novel, the author delves into the lives of a family living in the American West, examining their struggles with personal identity and the broader social and environmental changes of the time. more
Ruth Ozeki (born March 12, 1956) is an American novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. Known for works including My Year of Meats (1998), A Tale for the Time Being (2013), and The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021), her novels blend Japanese cultural elements with contemporary American themes. A Tale for the Time Being was nominated for the Man Booker Prize. She combines her practice of Zen Buddhism with her literary and film work. more
“Negativity, like mass, can neither be created nor destroyed—it exists in everything.”
“There's a terrible sadness in me and I don't know if it's personal or just part of being human.”
“You don’t need the perfect plan. You need the courage to start the imperfect one.”
“Sadness seemed to me like a disease, and I worried it was contagious.”