The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

From Publisher's Weekly: "Greeted with high praise in England, Ishiguro's third novel is a tour de force-- both a compelling psychological study and a portrait of a vanished social order. Stevens, an elderly butler who has spent 30 years in the service of Lord Darlington, ruminates on the past and inadvertently slackens his rigid grip on his emotions to confront the central issues of his life. Glacially reserved, snobbish and humorless, Stevens has devoted his life to his concept of duty and responsibility, hoping to reach the pinnacle of his profession through totally selfless dedication and a ruthless suppression of sentiment. Having made a virtue of stoic dignity, he is proud of his impassive response to his father's death and his "correct" behavior with the spunky former housekeeper, Miss Kenton. Ishiguro builds Stevens's character with precisely controlled details, creating irony as the butler unwittingly reveals his pathetic self-deception. In the poignant denouement, Stevens belatedly realizes that he has wasted his life in blind service to a foolish man and that he has never discovered "the key to human warmth." While it is not likely to provoke the same shocks of recognition as it did in Britain, this insightful, often humorous and moving novel should significantly enhance Ishiguro's reputation [in the U.S.]."

Okay, first, I finished this book in September 2007 and am just now posting about it. I'd like to say it just slipped through the cracks or that I was too busy, but the truth is that I didn't quite know what to write in my review. I still don't, but am going to give it a try anyway.

My problem in writing my review doesn't stem from the fact that I didn't like the book -- I did. Ishiguro is a masterful writer and I'll probably reread it sometime. And the problem is not the characters. I felt an emotional attachment to them and felt like I understand what they were about. I guess the problem is that the emotion of the book is SO reserved, it's almost like it rubbed off on me. That, and that the emotion you feel reading the book is not overwhelming, it's one that you can easily relate to but it doesn't make you want to jump up and down, ranting about how everyone you know just has to read this book.

Now that I've said that, let me say that you SHOULD read this book. It's a great book with an interesting plot and is well-written. Just don't expect to be swept away or cry big buckets of tears.