Nocturnes

Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel, Nocturnes, Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, has really struck a chord (argh, but it's true!) with a number of our booksellers.

When we heard that he had a new novel coming out, many of us scrambled to get a chance to read the advanced copy. We only had one copy that we passed from bookseller to bookseller.

Here's what some of those who have read the book had to say:

Ishiguro conceived of this book as if it were a piece of music in five movements. It is his first collection of short stories, coming after his six very accomplished and nuanced novels. The theme of music is woven into each of these stories, connecting them, and sometimes the
characters, as if with a gossamer thread. I am not usually a short story reader, but I absolutely loved this book! It is sometimes heartbreaking, always lyrical, and surprisingly humorous - I laughed out loud at times. He is so skillful at using narrative in a way that lets the reader in on insights about his characters that they are unaware of. His prose is clear and precise.
This is an extraordinary piece of writing that gently and insistently pulls you from one story to the next, rewarding you every step of the way.

--Linda

Wow. Just read this book in one sitting. Utterly sublime. These five short stories of music and nightfall just highlight what a wonderful writer Ishiguro is. Each of these stories stand on their own, but read as an ensemble, their slow & gentle power carries the reader away. The stories are full of heartbreak and loss, of the sweet music of memory, of spare descriptions that paint a picture so perfectly, the reader is sitting in the hotels, the piazzas and hearing the music. Each is told from a first-person narrator, not always visible to us. This adds an intimacy to the stories that really brings out the emotional impact of each. Highly recommended. I would like to sit back down and re-read them again and again, like listening to music.

--Joe

After reading Joe and Linda's glowing reviews, I had to give this one a try for myself. It really is a wonderful book, and for it was a great introduction to an author I have previously avoided (blame the cure-for-insomnia movie that was made from his "The Remains Of The Day"). I'm especially pleased with his character development given the fact that these are short stories--really short, since there is 5 of them in this slim volume. But each story gave me both a character that I could identify with and a character that I had to puzzle over. The themed stories (music and nightfall) and the interwoven characters added a nice touch as well. They read quickly but give you plenty to think about. In a nutshell--I'm impressed.

--Jackie