Willa Magland
A Pale View of Hills (October 2024)
I had never heard of Ishiguro, although clearly I should have because he won the Nobel Prize for goodness sake. I was talking with my English professor before I started and she said she had enjoyed another book by him. His other books must be incredible, considering this was his debut.
And as I look back on it (I finished it on the 22nd) it really does feel like a debut novel. Ishiguro paints a portrait of a woman in the way that's reminiscent of the masters. It's made of up carefully placed brushstrokes made by a steady hand. At no point in this novel was my mouth agape in awe like it was while reading Sula a few days before, but I loved it.
This book made me ask questions about language, translation, my American perception of Japan and its culture, and more. If you can't already tell from my other reviews, I'm a sucker for stream of conscience narration swirled with memories and visions,[1] and this fit the bill pretty nicely. I realize that's not everyone's cup of tea, glancing the other reviews, but I recommend taking things slower. Recognizing the beauty of the language and questioning the author's choices.
The best part of this book for me was the way the women melted together, by the end becoming one singular whisp of memory. I liked the attention payed to conversation, how we say things and approach difficult subjects. This book set out on a specific vibe and it nailed it. I look forward to re-reading this later in life to catch the things that I missed! Also psyched to read Kazuo's other books.
Totally unrelated, but talk about another BANGER Vintage International design! I freaking love this publisher because all their designs are just incredible. I got so excited when I saw this version—VI is truly the best!
That's all I've got for now.
most of the time, see The Waves by Woolf, that was a little much for me! ↩︎
Current Status ☕
