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Review 196:
May 2023

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First Published: 1989

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"The Remains of the Day"

by Kazuo Ishiguro.

We read “Never Let Me Go” which was very powerful, and so Chris and I read one or two other books by the same author, Kazuo Ishiguro. I was intrigued by his Japanese origins and English upbringing. Eventually I read Remains of the Day and was captivated by the story. The book followed Ishiguro’s first two novels, both set in Japan. He felt challenged to write with England as the setting, and having done his research, the first draft was created by an intensive 4-week writing project.

The writing is masterly, from page 1 the reader is taken into the world of grand houses and the thought processes of a Butler. And it’s the skilful use of English that transports you. This masterly use of language is consistent throughout the book, and is so clever that you can perceive as a reader, through the eyes and thoughts of the main character, what is going on around him, whilst he remains oblivious.

The book is structured round a car journey which takes place over just a few days, but the use of flash-back memories enables it to span most of a lifetime, and address the significant themes of the book. The themes include life in a stately home, the nature of “Butlering”, the role of the gentry in the world stage between the two World Wars. Nazi sympathies and antisemitism form part of that story.

The overt plot is the relationship between the Butler, Stevens, and the Housekeeper, Miss Kenton.

The sub plot is the growth and support for Nazi sympathies amongst the gentry, and the view of this that would be allowed to a butler. The butler expresses unswerving loyalty and blind faith in his employer.

The language then gives the essential twists to the story. Is Stevens immune to the overtures made by Miss Kenton, or is he blinded by his desire to serve faithfully and with dignity to the best of his abilities? The Nazi sympathies are revealed in a series of cameos about being a butler including the silverware, the Jewish girls, the nature of the visitors.

As in any game, a strength overplayed can become a weakness, and so it was here. Stevens’ strength as a butler stopped him seeing the overtures of Miss Kenton and the need to do more than just work.

The hopefulness with which Stevens sets out on the car journey in the end proves false, and the end of his day is sadly portrayed as a continued commitment to his work as a butler rather than in any more meaningful or productive relationship.

Doorly score: 4.4

PC. May 2023


The book was awarded the Booker prize in 1989, and Ishiguru went on to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017.


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