In this article we will review When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Book Plot
In When We Were Orphans, his first novel in five years, he returns to this terrain in a brilliantly realized story that illuminates the power of one’s past to determine the present.
Christopher Banks, an English boy born in early-twentieth-century Shanghai, is orphaned at age nine when his mother and father both vanish under suspicious circumstances. Sent to live in England, he grows up to become a renowned detective and, more than twenty years later, returns to Shanghai, where the Sino-Japanese War is raging, to solve the mystery of the disappearances.
The story is straightforward. Its telling is remarkable. Christopher’s voice is controlled, detailed, and detached, its precision unsurprising in someone who has devoted his life to the examination of details and the rigors of objective thought. But within the layers of his narrative is slowly revealed what he can’t, or won’t, see: that his memory, despite what he wants to believe, is not unaffected by his childhood tragedies; that his powers of perception, the heralded clarity of his vision, can be blinding as well as enlightening; and that the simplest desires–a child’s for his parents, a man’s for understanding–may give rise to the most complicated truths.
When We Were Orphans Rating : 3,53
Also book has 320 pages
When We Were Orphans Review
An engaging and talkative story that explores the regrets of not pursuing an ideal in life. The abundance of coincidences and lack of development of characters like Akira and Jennifer led me to waver between giving the book 3 or 4 stars. The fear of things falling apart and the need for belonging are central themes in the story. The protagonist, Christopher Banks, is a detective in London with connections to Shanghai, driven by his obsession with social status and haunted by his past. The scenes from his childhood are more vivid than his current life. The return to Shanghai brings up issues of entitlement, exploitation, discrimination, and fear of change. While the book gradually draws the reader in, some of the plot choices towards the end feel surreal and unconvincing. Overall, the theme of regret for missed opportunities and the conflict between duty and personal desires make this a worthwhile read, though not one of Ishiguro’s strongest works.
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