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...