I grew up wearing a mask on my face that I didn’t know was there, but over the years, of course, the mask shaped me.
Timecode of a Face by Ruth Ozeki
Timecode of a Face is a personal essay narrating author Ruth Ozeki’s experiment of studying her face for three hours. This activity came about as a variation of an observation experiment from Jennifer L. Roberts’ essay, “The Power of Patience”.
In Timecode, Ozeki — the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted A Tale for the Time Being and Women’s Prize-winning The Book of Form and Emptiness — showcases her thoughtful writing style in her first non-fiction work. Originally published in 2015, Timecode remains relevant as Ozeki reflects on the forces that have shaped her, pulling in threads of her practice and studies in Zen buddhism.
Insightful but simple, this short work will appeal to fans of Ozeki’s fiction, anyone who’s trying to take the time to reflect on themselves, or anyone who’s ever been in crisis about the way that their appearance has shaped the way the world has responded to them (so, mixed gang — probably most of you).
Review by Marina Sano.
