Review: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Book: The Remains of the Day

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Pages: 258

I Read: The paperback pictured above

I Read It In: 4 hours (across two days)

Plot Summary: In 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper. Ishiguro’s dazzling novel is a sad and humorous love story, a meditation on the condition of modern man, and an elegy for England at a time of acute change.

My thoughts: The Remains of the Day won the Man Booker Prize in 1989 and is one of Ishiguro's most renowned works. I was surprised that I hadn't read it, given that I love Ishiguro and have pretty much read everything else by him! So, I thought I will get 2015 started off on the right note by picking up this book. 

On the face of it, The Remains of the Day is the story of Stevens, the butler, looking back upon his life as he takes some time off to drive down to the West Country to see an ex-colleague and the woman that he loved but never realised that he did. However, the book is so much more than that! 

I loved The Remains of the Day because it looks back at England in the crucial period between the Wars as well as dwells upon the values of a profession (that of a butler) that was slowly becoming irrelevant. I really enjoyed Stevens' slightly stiff, slightly pompous but mostly good-natured voice as he thought of events past and how much pride he took in discharging his duties well. 

Stevens starts his reminiscing when he finds himself unable to successfully joke around (he calls it bantering) with the new owner of Darlington Hall- an American businessman. It is very endearing how he thinks of the various qualities that a good butler needs to embody and that bantering is not one of them! As Stevens is adjusting to these changes around him, he finds his mind wandering to the glory days at Darlington Hall; to a very important 'conference' in 1923, which could have, potentially, prevented World War II. 

As the book progresses, we get to see how much Stevens respected and cared for Lord Darlington (the original owner of Darlington Hall), who was not only a nice man but also attempted to get involved with issues that were relevant and critical at the time- an important man who did important things. Stevens derived a lot of his professional satisfaction from being in the periphery of greatness and, therefore, in some small way contributing to these great events of the day. Stevens' intense devotion to his job reminded me of how my friends and I felt about our first jobs- this immense sense of loyalty and going above-and-beyond for every little thing.. and how, eventually, you feel so jaded, especially, when people you looked up to let you down! So, this aspect of the book really resonated with me! 

The beauty of this book lies in a few simple things:

• The wonderful work ethic described by Stevens... taking immense pride in one's job and doing one's job to the best of one's ability. The lovely little instances of when Stevens felt that he performed his role in the most dignified and efficient manner were very interesting and provide a peek into the prevailing social values of the period. 

• Stevens himself- he is very straight-laced with all of his identity (and joy, pride, satisfaction) derived from his role as a butler. He is a no nonsense guy who doesn't appreciate or understand some very obvious social or romantic cues. It is kind of sad how Stevens spends all his life just working and serving his master and not really looking out for personal happiness. His devotion to Lord Darlington is so absolute that he even rationalizes and justifies Lord Darlington's closeness with the Nazis and does not blink an eyelid when he was asked to fire two Jewish maids. To see this absolute devotion and faith unravelling once Stevens is travelling and reminiscing and how broken Stevens feel is quite heartbreaking. 

• Stevens' journey is quite literal and metaphorical- he is seeing hitherto unseen places and he is walking down memory lane and heading to meet the woman he loved but lost. There are little incidents, which show the chinks in his devotion for Lord Darlington and how uncomfortable this makes Stevens feel. Even his meeting with Miss Keaton (the woman he loved) is bittersweet and ever so slightly sad, but that does not mean that he feels broken by the end of his journey, rather, he decides to face his changing reality with renewed resolve. 

This is a beautifully written book and if you love well written characters and reading about the pre and post-World War II era, then you must read this book! 

Rating: 5/5