All Things Kazuo Ishiguro
Read his books, thank me later
Kazuo Ishiguro is the 2017 Nobel literature prize laureate and a very hyped Japanese-British author. Last year I took the time to really dive into his works, and it was a delight.
I hope this short preview of Ishiguro’s books will inspire you to read his works:
“Klara and the Sun”
“Klara and the Sun” is a dystopian type book.
The action takes place in an unspecified future with advanced AI. In this future, it is common for children to have an “artificial friend” (AF) which is essentially a robot running on solar energy. Klara is such a robot.
I won’t give away more of the plot as it might spoil it for you, but “Klara and the Sun” is a really unique book covering all types of dilemmas that we dealt with before and are only starting to deal with now.
Ishiguro does a great job making the story controversial, as he makes humans in the story distanced and rational (one could say, robot like), and Klara emotional and hopeful of a better future. That typical human vs. robot paradigm is blurred in this story, and it gives so much food for thought.
Ishiguro is also “leveraging” Klara (who is good at observing human behavior) to showcase drama and emotions of the human characters, so I wouldn’t say this book is only about AI or only sci-fi themed.
“Klara and the Sun” made me an Ishiguro convert. With its amazing blend of genres, it was one of the most memorable books I read last year.
My personal rating: 9/10
The book is available on Amazon
“Never Let me Go”
It’s hard to describe “Never Let me Go” without spoiling the story, but essentially it’s a book about three children growing up in a boarding school in the picturesque English countryside.
Their childhood seems idyllic, but as the narration continues and especially as the children grow up, the book reveals a much darker reality of who these children are.
If you are looking for a book exploring social dilemmas with a sci-fi touch (or maybe a “Black Mirror” vibe), “Never Let Me Go” is your choice. I’m not a fan of sci-fi but I could not put this book down, and its ending had me reflecting about it for weeks after.
Personal rating: 8/10
You can purchase this book on Amazon
“The Remains of the Day”
Knowing that I was going to read Ishiguro, I was fully prepared for a sci-fi slash Black Mirror type story again.
But I was tricked.
“The Remains of the Day” is different. This story is about a butler in a traditional British aristocracy house around 1920–1950s. Through his narration, the book explores the historical events affecting the United Kingdom in that time, and poses the question of life choices and regret.
You will really enjoy “The Remains of the Day” if you are into historical fiction or Downtown Abbey. It is captivating, it has its own unique atmosphere, it reads fast.
My personal rating: 7/10 (lower than the other Ishiguro’s books because it did not have the same “omg” effect. It is a beautiful book nonetheless though)
You can get this book on Amazon
My beer recommendation that will go with today’s books got to be Japanese to honor Ishiguro’s roots. This is the Japanese Herb Ale Sansho, which truly is the most delicious Japanese beer I have tried:
