The Remains of the Day

I have never been a fan of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novels (just recently, I worked through The Unconsoled and had a horrible time doing so), but having finished The Remains of the Day, I can understand why this is one of his more famous—and not to mention famous—works. Simple, quiet, and emotional in his signature style, it’s a better example of what Ishiguro’s writing can accomplish, if he only stays focused and has a solid concept.

The main character, Stevens, moves through his life with a professional detachment that borders on robotic (another consistent character type of Ishiguro’s), but his reflections, embarrassments, and hints of regret are all familiarly human. 

The climax scene of the story—contained in only a few short paragraphs—of the moment when Stevens and Ms. Kenton reunite and speak of their missed opportunities and what-ifs are relatable to anyone, making it all the more heartbreaking. We can’t change the past, so we make do with what we have. But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t dwell from time to time.

Ok, fine. I’ll say it. With this book, Ishiguro finally wrote something that I genuinely like.

Erewhon

Samuel Butler's Erewhon is the namesake of the trendy overpriced Californian grocery store known for over-the-top celebrity smoothies, playing on the fact that the Erewhonians take health so seriously that having any sort of illness is condemned as a crime. Knowing this, it's a pretty funny/extreme take on health culture, and makes me question if the creators are scamming us all 😂

Anyway, I've gotten off track. Back to the book.

It felt as if the narrative were written in three distinctive parts (though they didn't seem intended to be split that way). The first being an adventure story somewhat reminiscent of the style of Frankenstein, the second as a series of philosophic musings/essays, and the third composed of three or so very short chapters that almost felt like an epilogue. It started out so fun and exciting, but then it tapered off into all of these ideologies that were interesting enough, but not exactly *thrilling*. Then, at the end, it sort of tried to mix the two together in a half-ass way in a mad rush to get to the point which was just that...man sucks. lol. All in all, I'd say the experience felt a little disjointed and confusing...but then again...maybe that's just a reflection of how the main character felt during his journey?

Idk but here's a fun fact: the name Erewhon is derived from "nowhere" spelled backwards...with the h and w transposed. Everyone else probably noticed that besides me.