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A review by mrbear
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
2.0
This book was truly disappointing. I wanted to like it. It started off with a very promising storyline, but around a third of the way through the book it became clear that it wasn't going to pan out, and the end of the book was excruciating. Quite simply the plot, character development, and main character himself were all terrible. Very few of the motivations of characters' actions made sense, and the story itself wasn't compelling because it was so nonsensical.
After The Remains of the Day, I had assumed Ishiguro was a generically good writer, and that I would enjoy most of his books. Now I realize that Ishiguro is only worth reading when his topic is good. The Remains of the Day, while simple plot-wise, was the correct style of book for him to write. The plot lent itself naturally to the protagonist's introspection, and little needed to happen over the course of the book for it to remain compelling. When We Were Orphans, on the other hand, was set up initially as a very plot driven book to that point that it could not retain itself unless the speed and intrigue of the plot were maintained. I think Ishiguro's writing does not lend itself to this style, as the second half of this book demonstrates.
After The Remains of the Day, I had assumed Ishiguro was a generically good writer, and that I would enjoy most of his books. Now I realize that Ishiguro is only worth reading when his topic is good. The Remains of the Day, while simple plot-wise, was the correct style of book for him to write. The plot lent itself naturally to the protagonist's introspection, and little needed to happen over the course of the book for it to remain compelling. When We Were Orphans, on the other hand, was set up initially as a very plot driven book to that point that it could not retain itself unless the speed and intrigue of the plot were maintained. I think Ishiguro's writing does not lend itself to this style, as the second half of this book demonstrates.