This is one of those books that alternate between two stories/narrators where the two stories are of widely different quality. The heart of the book is the diary of sixteen year old Nao as she writes about the tragedies she endures, her life and her family, in particular her 104 great grandmother a Zen nun named Jiko and her great uncle WWII kamikaze pilot Haruki I. This story is just amazing. Ozeki does so many things so well here. Nao's writing manages to be witty and clever while also deeply and earnestly emotional when appropriate. Her voice is somehow authentically teenaged sounding while still communicating mature insights. This book is also quite educational in a way that never feels belabored. 
 The rest of the book is narrated from the perspective of Ruth, an older Canadian author who discovers Nao's diary and reads through it while trying to figure out Nao's ultimate fate. Unfortunately the Ruth sections of this book are mostly dull, momentum killing rubbish. 
 Ultimately though Nao's story is so great I can't give this less than 4 stars even though Ruth's story is about 75% superfluous lameness.