Some novelists, even most novelists, tend to repeat themselves from book to book, returning to the same milieu, variations of the same story, or, at the very least, to the same genre. Not so, Kazuo Ishiguro. All seven of his novels (five of which I have read) treat with different cultural and physical settings, and even follow the conventions of different genres. This one is a fantasy set in early Britain a few years after the death of King Arthur, and has the feel of an allegory.
A peace has been achieved between the Britons and the Saxons after years of strife, but a mist lies upon the land causing forgetfulness of the past, even the immediate memories of daily life. One old couple, Axl and Beatrice, have a dim remembrance of a son in a distant village and set off together to seek him. Sustained by their love for each other, they encounter many dangers, aided in their quest by chance-met companions -- a Saxon warrior, a dragon-bit orphan boy, and the elderly knight Gawaine. Through this fantastical tale Ishiguro examines both the blessing and the curse of memories, and whether it is better sometimes to forget. It is also a love story and a meditation on the moralities of war and vengeance.
One constant in Ishiguro's novels is that they are all pervaded by a vague melancholy. This one is no exception. Any who expect a fairy tale ending will be disappointed. Yet is it not a fact that even the happiest of lives is touched with the bitter-sweet.
Ishiguro's prose here is impeccable, as usual. He is never pretentious or showy; most modern writers should take lessons from him about letting the characters and the story and the message take center stage, rather than their own cleverness. I would also highly recommend his novels The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, two of my all-time favorites.
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