A review by grapereads
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was fundamentally about a truth of life that many people like to avoid. It is the truth that life is not perfect: things turn out bad in the long run, we have deep regrets that haunt our remaining days; yet we must learn to accept this as the nature of life and look to the future. The sad element of this, however, is that when Stevens learns to look to the future, he is still only thinking of how he can best serve his employer, as this is the only life he knows. His lack of self-indulgence has cost him, but he comforts himself by being at the centre of many of life's great moments; the sad truth is that history will never remember him. He has lived a non-existence, but this is a novel that reminds us (however unwelcoming the prospect is) that we all have lived this non-existence, and perhaps this is alright. I think what I am trying to say is that I find a comfort in the shared regrets of this man's reminiscences.