Book Review – The Remains of the Day by Kazio Ishiguro

I’ve wanted to read this for a while.

I loved Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and was indifferent to Klara and the Sun. Of course, I’ve seen the movie of The Remains of the Day which I suspect has a different ending. I’m not totally sure as it’s been a while.

Mr Stevens is a butler, and has been all his life. He’s finicky. Everything has to be done to a tee in the household he runs, so much so that his own personal issues take a back seat no matter how drastic.

The house he runs has a new owner who encourages Stevens to borrow his car and go travelling for a while. Stevens decides to visit a maid who left the house many years before to marry, curious to see how her life panned out.

The story is told in present time and flashback. 

As we follow Stevens on his present day journey, we become painfully aware how inept he is in social situations. It’s something he also begins to realise. The flashbacks show us how his commitment to duty has undermined his ego for way too long.

Early in the novel, Stevens goes into great length to explain how to set a table for dinner. It shows us his dedication to the mundane. As the journey continues, his freedom of thought helps him come to terms with his former boss’ dark political affiliations, and how much of his own life has passed by.

I loved this novel until I got to the end.

Then something strange happened. As hours went by, the significance of the ending became clearer. Several days on, I reflected on the novel’s final message even more. It was exactly what I needed to hear at this phase of my life.

This is a sublime character study, with the reader discovering Stevens inner psyche, sometimes before, or sometimes as Stevens makes the same realisations.

A delightful tale which deserves five stars.