Within the pages of this book lies the diary of a girl called Nao. It will change the life of the person who finds it. It might just change yours, too. Ruth discovers a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore of her Canadian beach home. She suspects it might be debris from the 2011 tsunami. Within it lies a diary that expresses the hopes and dreams of a young girl. With every turn of the page, she is sucked deeper into an enchanting mystery, in which 16-year-old Nao Yasutani is trying to find a reader and friend who finally understands her. Weaving across continents and decades, A Tale for the Time Being is an extraordinary novel about our shared humanity and the search for home.

'This novel on belonging and time is a triumph' SUNDAY TIMES 'A Tale for the Time Being is a timeless story.a deeply intelligent and humane writer who offers her insights with a grace that beguiles. I truly love this novel.' ALICE SEBOLD, author of The Lovely Bones.