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

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

4.5

Absolutely beautiful. After I read (and loved) Never Let Me Go I knew I had to read more of Ishiguro's work, and I figured his most acclaimed novel would be the best place to start. While this didn't floor me quite as much as the former did, I am still amazed by how beautiful Ishiguro's writing is.

Much of what made Never Let Me Go brilliant also makes this brilliant, despite them also being so different and distinct from each other. To borrow a phrase I used in my review of the formed, The Remains of the Day is a similarly "quietly heartbreaking" novel. The voice of our main character, Stevens, feels so authentic and compelling, and despite me not being an aging English butler, I found him strangely relatable. I felt like I learnt a lot from Stevens, and also learnt a lot beside him.

I love how Ishiguro frames the story around memories and the recollection of them - how one moment can inspire recollection of another, which in turn leads to another. Despite it being incredibly genuine to how people think and feel, you'd think it would make for unruly and messy storytelling, but Ishiguro pulls it off expertly. I already have my next book of choice of his on order, and I look forward to seeing more of what he has to offer.
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