I’ve had such interesting experiences with Kazuo Ishiguro’s novels. I loved The Remains of the Day, I DNF’d Klara and the Sun, and I found this novel to be…meh.

Don’t get me wrong, the premise for this novel is incredibly unique and fascinating. I loved the way that Ishiguro gave the readers little pieces of the novel’s haunting truth, bit by bit, throughout the novel. It did make the final reveal slightly underwhelming, but I think it was necessary to give the readers some information about the characters’ reality to hold the readers’ attention.

I just didn’t love the execution of this novel. While the characters were definitely multilayered, I didn’t feel particularly attached to any of them. Although I found the ending sad, I definitely think I would’ve found it more moving and emotional if I’d cared about the characters more.

I also struggled with feeling especially interested in the plot and structure, and I found the storyline disorienting. I think it was intentional to have Kath’s recount be jumbled and confusing, as she was only really figuring it all out herself, but it did make for difficult reading.

Overall, I don’t regret reading this, but I definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as The Remains of the Day!