The Buried Giant: A novel

by Kazuo Ishiguro

From the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day
 
The Romans have long since departed and Britain is steadily declining into ruin. But, at least, the wars that once ravaged the country have ceased. Axl and Beatrice, a couple of elderly Britons, decide that now is the time, finally, for them to set off across this troubled land of mist and rain to find the son they have not seen for years, the son they can scarcely remember. They know they will face many hazards—some strange and otherworldly—but they cannot foresee how their journey will reveal to them the dark and forgotten corners of their love for each other. Nor can they foresee that they will be joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and a knight—each of them, like Axl and Beatrice, lost in some way to his own past, but drawn inexorably toward the comfort, and the burden, of the fullness of a life’s memories.

Sometimes savage, sometimes mysterious, always intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel in a decade tells a luminous story about the act of forgetting and the power of memory, a resonant tale of love, vengeance, and war.

• ISBN10: 030727103X
• ISBN13: 9780307271037
• Publish Date: 3 March 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Alfred A. Knopf
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780307271037

Reviews

[clementine]

I found this to be a pretty bland literary interpretation of the fantasy genre, though beautifully-written as one would expect of Ishiguro. It follows a very simple journey narrative where the protagonists need to travel from Point A to Point B, encounter tasks they must complete along the way, and pick up a few stray travellers. The result is a story with many a dull point which ultimately feels a bit rote. The fantasy elements were subtle, which I suppose is an interesting artistic choice, but fantasy feels like a genre that's necessarily about going all-in. I liked the main characters - it's not often a novel centers around an elderly couple. There were lots of interesting ideas about individual and cultural memory. I was particularly interested in the idea that (having the capacity for) memory can be destructive. I also didn't mind the ambiguous ending! Definitely didn't blow my socks off, though.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

The Buried Giant is set in a post-Arthurian Britain that is covered in a strange mist…a mist of unknowing. Axl and Beatrice have not seen their son in years; they barely remember him. One day the couple decide to leave their town and set off to find their son. They expect to run into difficulties, they are old and do not remember much, but nothing can prepare them for what they will discover along the way.

This is the first Kazuo Ishiguro in over a decade and I was very excited to get my hands on this novel. I have heard many people say that The Buried Giant is unlike anything Kazuo Ishiguro has ever done but that is what is brilliant (and annoying) about this author. Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day are also unlike anything else Ishiguro has written. He has an amazing ability to write something different every time and use the genre and the plot as an allegory to explore different themes.

As you may have guessed, The Buried Giant explores the theme of memories; in particular, lost memories. Ishiguro uses the tropes found in fantasy and Arthurian literature to explore these themes. Like the ideas of myths and legends that make for great stories but (generally speaking) the ideas and context behind them are often lost or forgotten about. On their journey Axl and Beatrice meet Sir Gawain which sets up the metaphor of the mist of unknowing. Just how did King Arthur and the Britons come to peace with the Saxon’s?

The more I read Kazuo Ishiguro, the more I love his use of language. He writes beautifully and yet he is not satisfied in just using words to get his message across. He uses imagery and plot as well as genre tropes to help drive his message. Now that I have discovered this, it almost makes me want to retry reading Never Let Me Go for the second time to just explore this depth, as well as his other novels. However I am sure that The Remains of the Day will also remain my favourite.

I was completely fascinated by The Buried Giant and I found myself regularly putting the novel down just so I could dwell on the chapters I have read. There is a lot within the book worth exploring and I know I have only scratched the surface. A re-read of this book may conjure up many more themes and imagery, for now I can dwell on the ones I discovered this time around. While The Buried Giant is unlike anything he has ever written, the beauty and complexity will remind you that you are enjoying a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2015/03/24/the-buried-giant-by-kazuo-ishiguro/

[Lianne]

I won an ARC of this book via the GoodReads First Reads programme. This review in its entirety was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2015/03/02/review-the-buried-giant/

To be honest, I’m not sure what to make of this novel. After especially reading Never Let Me Go, I learned that much of Ishiguro’s writing and storytelling is of the subtler contexts, the themes and emotions happening underneath the surface. The narrative is a lot different compared to his other two novels I’ve read.

The story is set on a mythical Britain left in an eerie state of forgetfulness long after the Romans have departed. There are fantastical elements to this novel but it works well with the other mythical elements tied to this dark age of Britain but it works for the story, especially when it ties back int the case of forgetfulness that has swept the land. This forgetfulness feels very eerie, rather frightful as people don’t remember much from their early lives, throws a wrench in relationships, etc.

Axl and Beatrice were wonderful characters, their story seemingly simple but their love and partnership very strong amidst the forgetful mists around them. Their journey starts of simply enough but they get caught into larger events filled with hostile inhabitants, a dragon lurking about somewhere in the world, suspicious monks, and strange boatmen. The presence of Wistan and Edwin later one introduces the uneasy coexistence between the Saxons and the Britons, and adds a needed layer of danger to the story.

As curious as these elements and these characters were, I did find the story to amble about as the narrative progresses. I started losing sight of the main goal of the story as Axl and Beatrice are drawn into Wistan’s story and his issues. It got interesting towards the end when the answers started trickling in, but I found myself a bit disappointed by some of the reveals. While Axl and Beatrice’s story wrapped up nicely (or at least felt emotionally satisfying from the way their story ran), the larger storylines felt a bit incomplete, alluding to larger events to happen but not showing anything for it.

Despite of this, The Buried Giant is a fascinating read, a lot different from anything I’ve read so far this year. Not my favourite Ishiguro novel but it’s different and curious nonetheless.