MsB’s Reviews > A Tale for the Time Being > Status Update

Lawdy. I’m enjoying this so much, but I feel strangely melancholy reading it. It’s gorgeous and complex and quietly heartbreaking and addictive in that slow, moreish way where you don’t want to rush, but also can’t stop. I have absolutely no idea where this is going, and somehow that’s part of the magic. I don’t think I’m ready for it to end.

Nao’s voice is still my favourite, but Ruth is growing on me too: her very ordinary life and weirdly flat conversations with her husband are oddly funny, and I love how completely obsessed she’s becoming with Nao’s story. I’m hooked now.

Still here mainly for Nao. Ruth is very much a sensible eco-voice so far, which is… a contrast. Diary chaos vs calm coastal reflection. I’m far more invested in whatever Nao is about to confess next.

Loving Nao’s voice so far. She's feral, raw, and slightly unhinged in the most endearing way. The Ruth chapters, though… total tonal whiplash. She’s so calm and sensible she feels almost aggressively normal by comparison. Right now I’m here for the teenage chaos and politely tolerating the novelist.

Do I like it so far? Yes, I do. The sixteen-year-old narrator is hilariously jarring in places, and I appreciate her very much.