A few days ago, I finished listening to the audio book for The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, and I can't stop thinking about the book and its themes: hard work, dignity, loyalty and making the most of life when the work is done.
Before I go on, let me to gush about the amazing narrator for this book that is Simon Prebble. He was the perfect choice, and he not only delivered the story with immaculate precision, but transported me to early 20th Century England and the world of butlers and professional service. Well done, good sir, well done.
It's not very often that a book stays with me for several days. I usually read a couple of books at the same time, and I have a busy life where I'm thinking about lots of things (which I'm sure is the same for many of you). But every once in awhile, a book comes along that is so profound in its ideas, that the book lingers in my mind for days. The Remains of the Day was such a book.
I
went into this story without any prior knowledge, except that it was about a
butler, and that Mr. Ishiguro has recently been awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. (It was all coincidental timing for me, as my wife has been recommending that I read this novel for years.) I began listening to the audio book and immediately enjoyed the story--but merely as a pleasant diversion from my commute to and from work. The
first couple of chapters were pleasant enough, full of dry humor and subtle
witticisms. The story reminded me of Downton Abbey, but maybe because Downton
Abbey is my only real reference point for the world of butlers and professional service (that and the books by P.G. Wodehouse--which I also recommend).
The story is set in the years before and after World War II, but the war and political turmoil play a minor role in the story. It is really about a butler looking back on his life, and on the choices and sacrifices he made in order to fulfill his duty as a butler—which he sees as paramount in his life. The story is about dignity and loyalty and the sacrifice of self in order to attain greatness (even in minor ways).
The story is set in the years before and after World War II, but the war and political turmoil play a minor role in the story. It is really about a butler looking back on his life, and on the choices and sacrifices he made in order to fulfill his duty as a butler—which he sees as paramount in his life. The story is about dignity and loyalty and the sacrifice of self in order to attain greatness (even in minor ways).
But about
halfway through the book, the narrator relays a story to another character which is inconsistent with how he told the story to the reader. This piqued my interest and I began paying more attention to the details of what the butler was saying. It didn't take long to pick up on the fact that even within the same comment or story, the narrator was altering details in mostly minor--but sometimes major--ways. Before long, I realized that the butler was an unreliable narrator, and my interest in the story grew exponentially from that point on. Why was the butler (his name is Stevens) changing his story? Was he hiding something? Was he ashamed of something?
I'm not going to get into all that, because its part of what makes this story so unexpected and fun. Not since reading The Pale King by David Foster Wallace, have I had as much fun with a writer's play on language and detail.
And it is fun, even though the fun is had in subtle ways, and the playfulness with language is a good contrast to the underlying tragedy of a person looking back on life with regrets. When you reach the ending (and it won't take long, it's a short book), you realize that there is only one way the story can really end, but it is a wrenching sucker punch all the same.
I'm not going to get into all that, because its part of what makes this story so unexpected and fun. Not since reading The Pale King by David Foster Wallace, have I had as much fun with a writer's play on language and detail.
And it is fun, even though the fun is had in subtle ways, and the playfulness with language is a good contrast to the underlying tragedy of a person looking back on life with regrets. When you reach the ending (and it won't take long, it's a short book), you realize that there is only one way the story can really end, but it is a wrenching sucker punch all the same.
So you have to read this book. It is fantastic. There is so much to recommend about this book, and some very deep thoughts that may cause some serious reflection on your own life. The one passage that was probably most important to me was this:
The evening’s the best part of the day. You’ve done your day’s work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.
-Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
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© Derrick Hibbard 2017
My new novel: The Bridge Between Stars is available now! Read a FREE excerpt here. The Bridge Between Stars is an apocalyptic thriller--a nightmare come to life. A haunting tale of a family’s will to survive at all costs, even when hope is lost, and a love that spans galaxies. Connect with me here, on Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.
