The Remains of the Day
Kazuo Ishiguro · b. 1954 · England / Japan
Why it matters
A butler motors through England defending a life of perfect service to a master history has disgraced. The unreliable narrator's finest hour: dignity, repression, and a love unspoken until too late.
At a glance
psychological novel
Difficulty 5/10slow pace258 pagesRestrained first-person voice hides its meaning beneath calm, formal sentences.
Deep dive
Why Stevens's own definition of 'dignity' — never letting the professional mask slip — is the real subject of this novel, and what nearly cracks it on a pier at Weymouth.
Where to go next
Kazuo Ishiguro · 1982A Pale View of HillsLvl 4Slow burn
Kazuo Ishiguro · 1986An Artist of the Floating WorldLvl 4Slow burn
Kazuo Ishiguro · 2005Never Let Me GoLvl 4Medium pace
Kazuo Ishiguro · 2015The Buried GiantLvl 5Slow burn
Han Kang · 2007The VegetarianLvl 6Fast paced
Samanta Schweblin · 2014Fever DreamLvl 6Fast paced