BOOK REVIEW - The Remains of the Day

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Format: Kindle ebook, purchased from amazon.

Did it feel like a full novel: yes

Cliffhanger: no

Genre: historical, literature

Dates Read: Dec 2 2015 - Jan 4 2016

Official Blurb: The Remains of the Day is a profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world postwar England. At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens embarks on a country drive, during which he looks back over his career to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving “a great gentleman.” But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington’s “greatness” and graver doubts about his own faith in the man he served. 

One Sentence: Deep novel that will keep you thinking about dedication and change

Full Review: Read this book for our fledgling book club, A Novel Gang. Thought it ended up being a great starting novel. It may start a bit slow for some readers (I enjoyed the British manner because it was fun to compare to Americans), but it soon develops as a sort of adventure, though for as much traveling forward that Stevens does, you keep traveling backward into the past as well. 

I enjoyed how much thought Steven put into his tasks and dedication to Lord Darlington, but it seemed a pity after a while, once you see that he becomes more than a bit blind to so very much else in his life. At the time it seems that it was all he needed, but the catalyst for his trip and what occurs on it, seem to make him see things anew. 

There is rather a bit of complexity in this novel, and I don't think I could do it much justice without reading it over a few times. Though that is certainly something I'd like to do later on, as this book does feel like it would be richer after repeated readings. I'm also curious about the film, though my Stevens doesn't seem that much like Anthony Hopkins. In all honesty, I had a sort of mental mix of Christopher Lee and Malcolm McDowell.

Rating: 4 stars