The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro, Author Knopf Publishing Group $22 (245p) ISBN 978-0-394-57343-4
Greeted with high praise in England, where it seems certain to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Ishiguro's third novel (after An Artist of the Floating World ) 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 here. (Oct.)
Details
Reviewed on: 09/01/1989
Release date: 09/01/1989
Genre: Fiction
Prebound-Sewn - 245 pages - 9780606143042
Prebound-Glued - 245 pages - 9780613057707
Hardcover - 245 pages - 9780886192198
Hardcover - 258 pages - 9780571154913
Hardcover - 213 pages - 9780307961440
Paperback - 256 pages - 9780679731726
Paperback - 272 pages - 9780571225385
Hardcover - 245 pages - 9780394573434
Paperback - 258 pages - 9780571275588
Paperback - 320 pages - 9780345809322
Audio book sample courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio