ðə nˈoʊtbʊks ɑːɹ bˈʊkɛndᵻd baɪ ɐ pɹˈɛfəs ænd ɐn ˈɛpɪlˌɑːɡ baɪ ɐ nˈeɪmləs nˈæɹeɪɾɚ, hˌuː ɪz ɡˈɪvən ˈoʊbəz nˈoʊtbʊks baɪ ɐ mjˈuːtʃuːəl ɐkwˈeɪntəns tˈɛn jˈɪɹz ˈæftɚ ðeɪ hɐdbɪn ɹˈɪʔn̩.
The notebooks are bookended by a preface and an epilogue by a nameless narrator, who is given Ōba's notebooks by a mutual acquaintance ten years after they had been written.