The Unconsoled

Hello, my readers! I hope everyone has been reading delicious books, I know I have been! Well, I'll start with Death In Venice and Other Stories, which I still haven't finished or even gotten to "Death In Venice," the main story I had been looking forward to; it's not for lack of interest that I haven't finished it, though, but rather because I got caught up in a new book.

As I mentioned when I first started Mann's collection, I never read short stories for pleasure, only for classes, so it was a little hard for me to read the whole thing through, especially since the stories were kind of overwhelming. The themes I noticed in the first few stories, like isolation and loneliness, kept reappearing; I can't recall a "happy" ending in the stories I've gotten through, and the characters are all so pitiful, desperate, and/or unhappy. I have really enjoyed reading them, though, and will soon finish the last two in the collection.

I ended up, after going to Barnes and Nobles for a bit, getting really attracted to The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro. My interest in Japanese literature has only grown this semester, and when I saw this book I had the feeling I needed to read it. So far, it's been (excuse the language here) a mind-fuck! Similar to Murakami, the dialogue in this novel is lengthy, excessively emphasizing the importance of menial things, and I can't get over how much it impresses me. It seems to be a result of a mixture of two things: it reflects Japanese culture. Considering the historical deference found amongst the Japanese, conversation can often be convoluted, lengthy, and very submissive (which can keep the dialogues going for quite a while). This style of dialogue, however, also adds to the air of mystery that is present in the novel. The protagonist in The Unconsoled, Mr. Ryder, is a celebrated pianist who at the opening of the novel has recently arrived at a town for a performance. Slowly, though, the reader becomes aware, as does Mr. Ryder, that he has spoken to the people he encounters previously, though he recalls little to nothing about most of the conversations. He is confused, and yet there is something so complacent about his nature that he often ignores his lack of memory and just flows along with the hectic, strange goings of the town. This causes him problems, because he is constantly bombarded with meetings and appointments he has forgotten he made. Then there are the references to the terrible accident that occurred a bit before Mr. Ryder's arrival, which will probably account for his memory lapses, yet he does not ask about it at all.

I haven't gotten too far, but I am enjoying it! I will update soon to give more insight into the novel and hopefully talk about "Death In Venice." I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, reading and having fun! I am off to do just that. Comment if you've read The Unconsoled or any other of Ishiguro's works!