A review by surelyinthefountain
A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

challenging mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love Ishiguro's work, so I suppose I'm biased. I love the quiet contemplation, the competing urges between looking forwards and looking back. The book is in a quiet liminal space of sorts -- the small, flawed recollections of a woman who is very much alone and has been for some time. We are to wonder if the fate of all the women here is to one day be alone in a big house; many of the things Niki says to her mother echo things her mother once said at a similar age. The book lets us sit with sadness at the passing of time and of people and of ideas; it's bleak but the small joyful moments are allowed to shine.
One thing to keep in mind, before you go in, is that a lot of Etsuko's stories aren't really about what she says they are. The frame is barely talked about directly and is instead circled obliquely, so a lot has to be inferred. Still waters run deep; I probably want to reread this at some point, honestly, as I think it deserves a closer reading.
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