Japan Tsunami Debris Washed Ashore Inspires Ruth Ozeki’s Latest Novel

A couple of years after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011, people on the West Coast continued to be startled by the site of quake debris turning up on our shores.

Remnants from houses, battered boats and some personal possessions made the long, almost-impossible voyage across the Pacific Ocean to end up in the hands of strangers on another continent.

The idea of that journey sparked the imagination of author Ruth Ozeki: A piece of tsunami debris is the catalyst of her novel "A Tale For The Time Being."

The book has been nominated for a National Book Award, and was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize.

Ruth Ozeki will be at Warwick's Books on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m.