Review: The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Magnificently written, and yet the real story is not in the immaculate parade of words on the page; the story is about what is not said at all.

The prolonged restraint in this subtle masterpiece might not be well-received in our current tech-sped society, but I cherished every word. Every oblique conversation, every exquisitely overlooked opportunity to feel , the pride, the forbearance, the precision and eventually the long overdue epiphany. I simply loved how it is all so carefully unfolded for the reader to explore.

I loved the aging butler (who never could master the art of bantering), the misguided Lords, the long-suffering Miss Kenton, and the self-important power brokers who visited Darlington Hall. Ishiguro has a magical way of pointing the reader ever so discreetly towards the truth by never actually stating it. Instead, the impression of truth is formed by the empty spaces left in our central character's words and actions. This story was like a beautiful piece of music defined by the spaces - the silence between the notes.

This book holds so much wisdom. You will think about your destiny. You will wonder if your life is also some kind of a protracted fiction. Maybe you will decide to make it a better fiction, after all?

This book is a work of art.

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