Kazuo Ishiguro
1986
Around 210 pages
I love Ishiguro, and if I don't give this novel five stars, it's only because he hasn't reached his full potential as a writer yet. Hey, this rating system isn't an exact science.
Artist Masuji Ono creates propaganda for Japan in World War II. Well, things get a little awkward in the aftermath of the war, as Ono is seen as a traitor after the fall of Imperialist Japan, for leading his country astray. As an older man negotiating the marriage of his daughter, he has time to reflect on his past and his choices.
Ishiguro handles the unreliable narrator technique masterfully by subtly letting the reader know Ono's memories and perspective can't be entirely trusted. I've always found Japanese culture fascinating, and I loved the insight into all the post war shifts in values and attitudes. Like Nabokov, Ishiguro has such a unique perspective being a citizen of the world.
Another novel that proves we are all just cogs in the machine, man.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Shortlisted for the 1986 Booker Prize and won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award.
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