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A Pale View of Hills
February 2022: Thought Provoking
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[WPF] A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro - 3.5 stars
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The Remains of the Day (other topics)Klara and the Sun (other topics)
Never Let Me Go (other topics)
An Artist of the Floating World (other topics)
A Pale View of Hills (other topics)
Protagonist Etsuko is a Japanese woman living in England. From the outset we know her elder daughter, Keiko, has died by suicide, and her twenty-something younger daughter, Niki, is visiting several years later. In the earlier timeline, we find a pregnant Etsuko living in the area around Nagasaki. She tells of a neighbor, Sachiko, and her traumatized daughter, Mariko. Mariko obviously suffers emotional issues and Sachiko does not exhibit the type of motherly caring we might expect.
This story flashes backward and forward to tell a loosely knit story of the changes in culture of Japan after the end of WWII, and the lingering psychological damage from traumatic events. Themes include the fallibility of memory and ways of dealing with guilt. The entire story possesses a dream-like quality, and Etsuko’s dreams form a key part of the narrative.
It is not at all a straightforward story and must be pieced together. Each reader will likely interpret it differently. (view spoiler)[For example, at one point I was convinced Etsuko and Sachiko were the same person, but other parts of the storyline did not quite fit. Were the daughters, Keiko and Mariko, the same person? Was Etsuko projecting her guilt about Keiko’s suicide onto Sachiko and Mariko? Were they representations of what happened between Etsuko and her daughter? (hide spoiler)] I am still not sure what to think about the characters’ relationships with each other, so it is definitely thought-provoking. I do not need all the loose ends to be tied up, but this one leaves so many loose ends that it feels vaguely unsatisfying.
This was Kazuo Ishiguro’s debut. It is not my favorite, but I liked it and found it worthwhile. I have now read five of his works and plan to read his entire catalogue.
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Since Kazuo Ishiguro is one of our WPF-nominated authors, here are my other reviews in case anyone is interested:
- The Remains of the Day - 5 stars - My Review
- Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro - 5 stars - My Review
- Never Let Me Go - 4 stars - My Review
- An Artist of the Floating World - 4 stars - My Review