Reviews

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

moonlitface's review against another edition

4.0

When We Were Orphans was an interesting book. Bercerita tentang Christopher Banks dan perjalanan mencari keberadaan kedua orang tuanya setelah mereka mendadak hilang di tengah kontroversi perdagangan opium di Cina pada tahun 1910—1920-an, salah satu hal yang menarik dari buku ini adalah pembagian part menjadi lima per linimasa penting. Kalau nggak salah hitung, cerita terentang dari tahun 1923 hingga 1958, a good 35-year span, sejak Banks dititipkan kepada bibinya sepeninggal orang tuanya.

Part 1 dan 2 was good, cukup engaging karena pembaca terus diberikan informasi tentang masa lalunya Christopher ketika tumbuh besar di Shanghai, while simultaneously keeping the current timeline plot going. Di part ini juga, pembaca menyaksikan Banks jadi detektif terkemuka di Inggris, diundang ke acara-acara elit, dan aku suka cara Ishiguro mendeskripsikannya. Di bayanganku, it was lavish, had old money vibes, in big spaces. Quite gagged me because it’s highkey my dream life to go to such events.

Part 3 was okay, seingetku sebagian besar isinya pengenalan karakter baru, yaitu Jennifer, seorang yatim piatu yang kemudian diadopsi Banks—tapi manggil Banks dengan “paman”—sekaligus keep the plot going dengan persiapan kepergian Banks ke Shanghai untuk misi pencarian orang tuanya.

Part 4 dan 5 was a bit boring, aku sempat mikir bakal kena reading slump pas baca kedua part ini, kajskjfs. Isinya tetap krusial, bisa dibilang menceritakan proses pengumpulan informasi untuk tempat yang harus Banks tuju selanjutnya.

Part 6 dan 7 merupakan klimaks dan resolusi dari buku ini, dan bisa aku ikuti dengan seru karena banyak aksi juga di sana-sini. Sangat menarik juga mengikuti kisah Banks kembali ke tempat tinggal masa kecilnya, mengonfrontasi, serta berdamai dengan masa lalunya.

Aku suka storytelling Ishiguro di sini. Sebetulnya nggak beda jauh dengan di Never Let Me Go, but somehow I liked it better here…? Mungkin karena latar tempat dalam cerita yang terus-menerus berubah, jadi kerasa dinamis aja ceritanya. Pengenalan karakter di awal cerita cukup overwhelming buatku pribadi, tapi lama-lama nggak bingungin lagi, sih. Karakter Banks sendiri kadang nyebelin. Tiap ada part dia maksa karakter lain untuk melakukan apa yang dia mau, bikin kesel sendiri. Tapi, kasihan juga sih, mengingat dia sangat bertekad untuk menemukan jejak-jejak orang tuanya (and wishing they’re still alive somewhere).

4/5.

mercurue's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

eapreske's review against another edition

mysterious

4.0

pkc's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

thebobsphere's review

4.0

 I am a fan of Ishiguro. I love the way he is so restrained in his writing style and yet he throws curveballs. He’s one of those authors who can write about the same thing, which is the fallibility of memory, and yet disguise it in different clothing every time.

In a way When We Were Orphans is a typical Ishiguro novel but it is quite different at the same time. Detective Christopher Banks usually manages to solve all the mysteries he investigates. Unfortunately the only one he never managed to solve is the disappearance of his parents when he was a child in Shanghai.

As this is an Ishiguro book, Banks relies on his memories to piece together events, but, as we know, memory is is not reliable and he gets details of his youth mixed up. Some events, which double as clues stand out but even Banks is not sure about their validity.

Through meeting different people and going to Shanghai Banks is determined to solve this frustrating mystery, On the way he discovers that the disappearance has a role in the opium trade and other landmarks of Chinese history are intricated with Banks’ parents.

Plot-wise, other than The Unconsoled (a book I want to reread) this is definitely Ishiguro’s most ambitious novel; memory, love and history collide. Unfortunately I think that due to the many plotlines, When We Were Orphans comes across as a bit messy and even overlong in places. Saying that I still enjoyed it and I definitely think that it’s the definitive Kazuo Ishiguro novel. 

y00lle's review against another edition

challenging inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

frankierhiannon's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

amberlou105's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

aclypse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I’ve picked up the book because i heard of the author and I wanted to read some of his works. And to say, I wasn't left disappointed, but i did expect something… better. 

I was immersed by the first lines – the usage of first-person POV, the atmosphere… but my mind couldn’t comprehend many things. For example, I didn’t understand until about the middle of the book that Christopher is an Englishman – there were so many mentions of Shanghai that i believed he was at least part Chinese. But I believe it to be a mistake on my side as the language is quite challenging for someone whose native language isn't English. 

Another one – its slow pace caught me a little off guard. Though I have to admit, the author is a master of managing the reader's attention. He knows when to slow down the pace. He knows when to get in some action scenes so the readers don’t get bored. I haven’t found myself bored even once while reading. 

 

I especially enjoyed all the scenes with Akira – from their childhood plays to the last time they saw each other. But so many questions were left unanswered… where did the soldiers take him? Where did he end up? Are Banks and Akira ever going to meet up again? 

 

 

Their dialogue after the two friends met after a long time of not seeing each other frustrated me in a surprised way. On one hand, I couldn’t understand why Christopher’s reaction was so… dull… while seeing his friend half dying basically. On the other, Akira’s reaction is what i will use when i find myself in a similar situation as he was in. 

 

I’ve also noticed Banks often says such phrases as “as i remember” or “i don’t remember correctly…”, and so I’m just wondering, is that an example of an unreliable narrator? 

 

Many questions haven't been answered. Those that should have been answered. And so many things went unexplained. I want to know more about Christopher’s career. I want to find out where did they take Akira. And there wasn’t much information shared about the cases Christopher has worked on – hence I didn’t find his career to be convincing enough. 

 

But what this book is truly worthwhile for is the amount of touching quotes, wholesome as well as drastic scenes, and a valuable resource to historical events. Another item on the “advantages” is the half-open ending – i love it when stories don’t answer every question, therefore, manage to stay with us a while longer after finishing it. 

protoman21's review against another edition

3.0

I'm sorry to say that this book was a big disappointment. 2.5 stars. Ishiguro is an excellent writer, but this book just never went anywhere. The actual writing was good and each moment on its own was well constructed, but as a whole the plot never came together and the characters, though likable, never achieved much depth. The story jumped around some, but with no real direction and ultimately I never cared at all what would happen, and the one thing I might have cared about was teased and then didn't happen. I loved Never Let Me Go, but both The Buried Giant and this one were big disappointments, so unless I decide to check out Remains of the Day sometime in the future, I may be done with Ishiguro.