Book Review - Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, now at last I begin to understand why this author was awarded a Nobel.

The story's narrator is a young woman reminiscing about her school days. This is no ordinary school though, as the reader finds out page by page. You get the feeling that the story is somehow a science fiction, but the fact is never quite out there. It turns out to be a love triangle as well, while being deeply psychological.

While reading, one is also reminded time and again of the irony of retrospection. How things in the past seem different when you turn back from the present. How perspective changes with the passage of time and the advantage of knowledge.

To mess with the reader's head, the author does not deliberately reveal the narrator's background, but forces us to see her as a regular person.

Worth a read for the serious reader.

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Book review - Remains of the day

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Needless to say, picked this book up owing to the Nobel buzz, but was disappointed. Maybe I should reserve my comments before reading further work of the author. About the book itself, it's a good historical fiction fast-read. The setting is early to mid 20th century England, the political scenario described from the vantage of Lord Darlington's simplistic and loyal butler Stevens. There are many undertones to the narrative - the life of erstwhile aristocrats and their servants, hierarchy and ambitions of the manservants, the meaning of dignity, how loyalty drives someone to turn blind and deaf to what really is happening around, and extreme devotion to your profession among others. An enjoyable and fairly educative read if you forget the Nobel tag.
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