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The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro, 1989

Winner: Booker Prize 1989

In Brief
The novel The Remains of the Day tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who dedicates his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (mentioned in increasing detail in flashbacks). The novel begins with Stevens receiving a letter from an ex co-worker called Miss Kenton, describing her married life, which he believes hints at her unhappy marriage. Stevens' new employer, Mr. Farraday, who Stevens fails to hold in high esteem, then grants permission for Stevens to borrow the car to take a break.
As he sets out on the motoring trip and meets the long since retired housekeeper, Miss Kenton, he ponders (via numerous flashbacks) his previous actions and his feelings of love for Miss Kenton, which she silently reciprocated. Both characters failed to ever fully admit their true feelings for one another. Arguably this is due to the lack of communication between the pair; throughout the flashbacks, the majority of their interactions are through conflict and confrontation.
This reflects their frustration about their inability to communicate effectively with one another. Miss Kenton, it later emerges, has been married for over 20 years and therefore is no longer Miss Kenton, but Mrs. Benn, yet Stevens still refers to her as Miss Kenton. He refuses to accept the fact that he has missed his chance, now that she has moved on and is married.
Many of Stevens' memories are extremely biased, leaving the reader with the impression that he is an unreliable narrator. Yet throughout the novel, he prides himself on his attention to detail, which leads the reader to believe that Stevens deliberately mis-remembers or alters his recollections so that they cast him in a better light. These purposefully altered memories support what he wants to believe, that there is still a chance for him and Miss Kenton. Stevens is left with a vague feeling of loss and regret, culminating in his breakdown at the end of the novel. (From Wikipedia.)

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About the Author
• Birth—November 8, 1954
• Where—Nagasaki, Japan
• Reared—England, UK
• Education—B.A., University of Kent (UK); M.A., University of
   East Anglia
• Awards—Whitbread Prize, 1986; Booker Prize, 1989;
   Chevalier de l'Order des arts et lettres, 1998
• Currently—lives in London, England


Kazuo Ishiguro is the author of five previous novels, including The Remains of the Day, which won the Booker Prize and became an international best seller. His work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. In 1995 he received an Order of the British Empire for service to literature, and in 1998 was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.

More
Ishiguro's novels share certain qualities. The chronology of his plotting is elaborate and the narration is highly subjective. His ability to capture the details and atmosphere of a period has received high praise.

A number of his novels are set in the past. His most recent, Never Let Me Go, had science fiction qualities and a futuristic tone; however, the given time period is the late 1990s, and thus takes place in an alternate, though very similar, world. His fourth novel, The Unconsoled, takes place in an unnamed Central European city. The Remains of the Day is set in the large country house of an English lord, in the period leading up to, and the period after, the Second World War.

An Artist of the Floating World is set in Ishiguro's home town of Nagasaki during the period of reconstruction following the detonation of the atomic bomb there in 1945. The narrator is forced to come to terms with his part in the Second World War. He finds himself blamed by the new generation who accuse him of being part of Japan's misguided foreign policy, and is forced to confront the ideals of the modern times as represented in his grandson.

The novels are written in the first-person narrative style and the narrators often exhibit human failings. Ishiguro's technique is to allow these characters to reveal their flaws implicitly during the narrative. The author thus creates a sense of pathos by allowing the reader to see the narrator's flaws while being drawn into sympathy with him. That pathos is often derived from the narrator's actions, or, more often, inaction. In The Remains of the Day, the butler Stevens fails to act on his romantic feelings toward the housekeeper Miss Kenton because he fails to reconcile his sense of service and his personal life.

The novels end without a sense of resolution. The issues his characters confront are buried in the past, and those issues remain unresolved. Thus Ishiguro ends many of his novels on a note of melancholic resignation, whereby his characters accept their past and who they have become, and find comfort in that realization by a relief from mental anguish. This can be seen as a literary reflection on the Japanese idea of mono no aware.


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Critics Say. . .
First though let's say there's not a lot of plot; this is a character-driven novel. But what a character. Stevens is the butler of a once great English estate, and he tells us his story. In doing so, he becomes the poster child for Unreliable Narrator, matched for sheer cluelessness only.... read more.
A LitLovers LitPick - Jan '08


The Remains of the Day is a dream of a book: a beguiling comedy of manners that evolves almost magically into a profound and heart-rending study of personality, class and culture.... Stevens plays perfectly the role of model butler as obliging narrator.... .Underneath what Stevens says, something else is being said, and the something else eventually turns out to be a moving series of chilly revelations of the butler's buried life - and, by implication, a powerful critique of the social machine in which he is a cog. As we [progress on the trip] with Stevens, we learn more and more about the price he has paid in striving for his lofty ideal of professional greatness.
Lawrence Graver - New York Times Book Review


Readers Say. . .
(Ocassionally, when there are few professional reviews, we include helpful ones from Barnes & Noble customers.)

Brilliantly put together: At first, I couldn't understand what was so great about it, but by the time I finished I had a completely new appreciation for the story. While it may appear to be somewhat drawn out in the beginning, Ishiguro allows the readers to understand the character's dedication and focus in his career so that we can fully appreciate his future experiences and realizations. There's so much to be felt in the things that Stevens (the main character) doesn't do or say and leaves us with a bittersweet ending. I originally had picked up this book having read Never Let Me Go, also a great novel on a completely different level and put together in a very different way. Thus while this novel is different from those I normally read, I still thoroughly enjoyed it!
Jessica, a reader of dystopian novels, 01/16/2007


Stevens...possibly the most boring and frustrating character ever created...? Whilst I can identify the themes and motives within Ishiguro's work, from the very beginning I found the character of Stevens most disagreeable. I had to force myself to turn the page, and resist hurling the book across the room, whether this be through boredom, or merely frustration at this tedious character, I have yet to decide. Having finished the novel I understood Ishiguro's aims, and perhaps he achieved them in the most effective way,however this book requires effort to read and the result is disappointing.Whilst it may be a perfect study novel, it lacks the essentials for an entertaining read.
A reviewer, an English student, 12/06/2005


An Exquisitely Heartbreaking, Moving Novel:
Any rating of less than 5 stars for this novel must be attributed to a deficiency of some sort in the reviewer, for not one such dieficiency exists within the novel itself. It is perfect. True, the ending leaves one completely and utterly devastated, but that is, in fact, the point. The control of tone is unwavering and the style is flawless. It's impossible not to fall in love with this book. Read it, again and again.
A reviewer, an English major, 06/08/2004


Big disappointment: The book was very boring. I never got into the book. Stevens, the main character lacked emotion and didn't have feelings. All Stevens cared about was his work. The ending was very predictable. It is one of the worst books I have ever read. The only reason I read the book because it was required. The book was a waste of time.
A reviewer, 01/23/2004



Book Club Discussion Questions
Sorry, none remain (or were ever available) for this book.

But don't despair. Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

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LitLovers also offers a few of our own discussion starters:

1. Consider the decisions Stevens made during time of his father's death, as well as the dismissal of the two Jewish servants. Where did Stevens's ethical responsibilities lie— given his time in history and place in society?

2. You might also tackle the ending. What has Stevens learned, if anything? What insights has he gained, and will he change? Is he capable of change?

3. Talk about is the social hierarchy to which Stevens is completely loyal—yet which exploits him thoroughly.

4. And, of course, poor Miss Kenton. Would she ever have been happy with Stevens? Or could she have humanized him had she persisted and won him over? Oh...and what about the fact that she never left when s he was forced to dismiss the two Jewish maids? Is she as culpable as Stevens in this matter? What would most of us do in her place?