LITERARY FICTION

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-born British novelist, who has explored controversial topics in fascinating books that have been adapted for the screen.

The Novels

The first book of this author I read was The Remains of the Day (1989), the fascinating and touching story told by Stevens, the butler. It’s a classic tale about his being the head butler of the household of Lord Darlington in the years preceding World War II. History is written in the manor house during secret political meetings. It is also a tale of Stevens’ complex personality, his struggle to accept his past, the inability to show his emotions.

When Miss Kenton enters the manor as the head housekeeper she brings warmth and feelings to the place, emotions that Stevens finds very difficult to display or experience. Theirs is a love story, but will they ever admit it to themselves, let alone to the other?Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro Book CoverIn 2006, Kazuo Ishiguro wrote a totally different novel: Never Let Me Go. It tells a futuristic tale of a time in which children are born and being raised for the sole purpose of serving as ‘spare parts’ to others. Their lives will never be long, they have to start donating at around 16, 18 years…