When We Were Orphans

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Kazuo Ishiguro: When We Were Orphans (EBook, 2009, Faber and Faber Ltd)

eBook

English language

Published Jan. 8, 2009 by Faber and Faber Ltd.

ISBN:
978-0-571-24937-4
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3 stars (25 reviews)

'You seldom read a novel that so convinces you it is extending the possibilities of fiction.' Sunday TimesEngland, 1930s. Christopher Banks has become the country's most celebrated detective, his cases the talk of London society. Yet one unsolved crime has always haunted him: the mysterious disappearance of his parents, in old Shanghai, when he was a small boy. Moving between London and Shanghai of the inter-war years, When We Were Orphans is a remarkable story of memory, intrigue and the need to return.

16 editions

Review of 'When We Were Orphans' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

At times I grew impatient with the narrator, who seemed impossibly dense and unnaturally withholding while relating his story. I suspected the author of overusing the fog of memory and inaccuracies of self-image to build tension. By the end, though, I'd switched to being thankful for the exaggeration of these things. It forced me to contemplate them, and ultimately admit most people, including myself, are capable of absurd denials when it comes to the matters closest to us. To an orphan, one's parents would certainly represent a most difficult reality to grasp clearly. Letting go of dearly held conceptions to make room for something new does make for a good story that ultimately rings true.

Review of 'When We Were Orphans' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This was an excellent book and had I not loved and knew Remains of the Day first I might have rated it higher.... When We Were Orphans has some of the same themes- the lead character cannot form a meaningful relationship because of his connection with his work, is ultimately disillusined . He is tragically, willfully self deluding. But his bugbear, unlike the Butler in The Remains is not so much his belief in his profession as his naive belief in the infallibility of his parents and his trust in the the memories and perceptions of his childhood.

The dominant theme is memory...

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