Mr. Ian Brown was blown away by Ishiguro's new book, and would like to convince you that you would like it too!
I've always found that Genre fiction like Scifi or Fantasy get a bit of a bad rap. For some reason, lots of people just lump them all together, as if all are poorly written dime novels (just look at our Book club notice board under the "I hate" section). I on the other hand would proudly place myself amongst the many number of fans, even though you'd just as likely find me reading some "classic literature".
There are loads of fantastic writers doing some very interesting things amongst the genres: sweeping adventures with beautiful prose and great character development that would rival any “real book”. Although there are already some amazing genre writers around, acclaimed literary writers will occasionally dip their toes into the often perceived as murky waters of genre and elevate the whole game. This is exactly what Kazuo Ishiguro has done with his latest masterpiece The Buried Giant.
While this may come as a surprise to fans of Ishiguro's previous novels such as Never Let Me Go or The Remains of the Day, I assure you that he has not lost any of the beauty or skill in his writing. This book is phenomenally good. Ishiguro weaves lush British history together with its oldest superstitions and legends, like Beowulf and Arthur, to create a world not too far off from the history books. Sure, there are dragons and fairies, but they are only floating at the edges of a story that at its core is one of humanity and memory.
The plot itself takes place in a post Arthurian England that has finally seen peace between the Saxons and Britons, and follows an elderly couple as they begin a quest to their son's village. The only problem is that a strange mist has descended on their minds which is making it hard for them to remember exactly where it is, or what they had done together a few weeks prior. Then as quests usually go, things take a turn and soon they are on a grand adventure filled with warriors, monks, and old knights.
For those worried that this is just a silly "fantasy novel" not worthy of your time, you couldn't be further from the truth. This is going to be one of the highlights of the literary world this year, and not only that, it's a ripping good adventure that you're not going to want to put down. Who knows? Maybe this will be your gateway book into the fantastic world of genre fiction!
