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There are times when one should listen to critics and times when one should ignore them completely. Trouble is, it is hard to know what time is which. In the case of The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, it got lots of mixed reviews and my general impression ended up being don’t bother reading it because it’s a disappointment. This is mainly because critics accused Ishiguro of attempting to write a fantasy novel and failing at it spectacularly. But thank goodness for the internet and regular readers I trust who defied the critics and loved the book. Now I too can say the critics who panned the book are the ones who spectacularly failed and not Ishiguro.
As a reader who loves a good fantasy novel, I can tell you it is a huge mistake to read The Buried Giant as fantasy. Yes, there is talk of ogres. There is also a dragon. And Sir Gawain plays an integral part in the story. However, the story is more of a fairytale but it’s not even that. Rather, I think it is closer to an allegory, not the kind where you can say the X of the story equals A in real life and Y equals B; it’s not an allegory of equivalents that allows one to draw straight lines, Ishiguro is too good of a writer to do something like that.
The story is set in post-Arthurian Britain but not so long after Arthur that people don’t remember him or what happened. Sir Gawain is elderly but not falling to pieces, just slower and a bit weary. He remains fiercely loyal to Arthur who could do no wrong, which blinds him to the reality of the way things are now. The center of the story is Axl and his wife Beatrice, an elderly couple of Britons living in a small village that is kind of like a rabbit warren. There is a mist over everything, a fog that keeps people from remembering the past. Axl and Beatrice have been married for a very long time and are a devoted couple but they cannot recall when or how they met, what their lives were like before they met each other, that sort of thing. Precipitated by a series of events in their village, Axl and Beatrice decide they are going to go visit their son who lives in a village a few day’s journey away. They don’t know the name of the village or even where it is, they don’t even remember why their son lives there, but they believe if they set out in the direction of the village they will eventually find it.
Their journey is eventful and eventually they end up traveling with a Saxon warrior, a Saxon boy who has been mysteriously wounded and exiled from his village, and Sir Gawain. There are secrets and machinations and betrayals. But Axl and Beatrice move throughout as a steady, calm thread held together by their devotion to one another.
Because this is not a fantasy novel there is no vivid world building. The details are just enough to provide a vague sense of place and your imagination has to fill in the rest. The focus is not on the world but on the people, nonetheless, we don’t even really know what the people look like. I am unable to conjure up an image of Axl and Beatrice in my mind. But I can tell you how much they love each other and that Axl always calls Beatrice “Princess” and Beatrice usually walks in front and is always calling back, “Are you still there Axl?” I can also tell you that they are terrified that when it comes time to be questioned by the Boatman he will not take them both across to the island to spend eternity together because they cannot recall their past. Without memories of the life you have built together, no matter how devoted you may be day-to-day, how do you prove to the Boatman you love each other?
The novel is about love and memory and forgetting. The mist has made everyone forget the past and because everyone has forgotten the past the animosity between Britons and Saxons has also been forgotten. There have been years of peace and prosperity. But the novel makes us ask whether the price is worth it on both the large and small scale. Is it truly peace when the fighting stops because no one can remember what the war was about? Is it really love when you can’t remember the kindnesses, the disagreements, the betrayals, the forgiveness, the moments of grace of a long life together? The story is simple but it raises so many questions that turn it into something rich and deep.
The details are spare and the language itself is spare as well. In fact the language and style are so plain the book reads somewhat like a grade school primer. I exaggerate, but only so you don’t pick up the book expecting soaring flights of fancy, lush and lyrical prose. The language here is grounded, earthy, strong Anglo-Saxon English, an appropriate choice given the story.
I loved this book in case you haven’t figured it out. A great, well-told, thinking kind of story with a beautiful heart. It’s a story for grown-ups, quiet, lived, not flashy and turbo-charged. It left me feeling satisfied and maybe just a little teary-eyed. Don’t listen to the naysayers on this one. Ishiguro knows what he is about. And if you need a little extra push, and haven’t done so already, be sure to read the great conversation between Ishiguro and Neil Gaiman at The New Statesman.
It sounds to me like reading this one might be a little like reading The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. It required me to slow down in order to enjoy it.
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Jeanne, I’ve not read the No1 Ladies, but the book is deceptively simple and easy to speed through so reading carefully will make a difference 🙂
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I abandoned this after waiting weeks for it to come in at the library. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have as I trust your opinion implicitly.
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Bellezza, I loved the book but I can see how it might not be to some people’s taste. If you decide to give it another try I hope you have success with it!
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I was so waiting foo your review…now I go and buy the book…thank god for readers and everyday blogging community!
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cirtnecce, thank god indeed. I hope when you get to reading it you really like it!
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I’ve been kind of on the fence about reading this one, but you’re tipping the balance…
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nikki, I was on the fence for a long time too but I am glad I tipped and read it. If you decide to give it a try I hope you like it!
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I sometimes feel like all people want is for Ishiguro to write ‘Remains of the Day’ time and time again. I do love Remains, but I also really respect Ishiguro for not allowing himself to be pigeonholed and for, in this case, subverting genre expectations (even if some critics miss it).
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shoshi, ah, that could be. I have not read Remains of the Day, I saw the movie though 😉 My first Ishiguro was Never Let Me Go and I loved that one. I like it when a writer tries different stories and approaches and as you say, subverting genre expectations. Who wants the same stuff over and over? Gets boring I think 🙂
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I absolutely loved RotD but I agree that a lot of people expect to find echoes of it in his other works and are, often, disappointed to find that he is a diverse writer. This one is in my stacks, and your thoughts make me want to move it upwards straight-away!
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Buried, I really appreciate it when writers are diverse especially when they are as good and interesting as Ishiguro. I really have to read RotD!
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Squeee! Bravo! I have been so waiting for this review. My hope was that you would like it…dare I hope love it? It is such a difficult book to define. So unlike anything I had ever read, and definitely not an “easy” or “fun” read. But so very rich. The sort of book that stays with you and makes you think. You positively nailed a description of the language. And, yes, I cried. I burst into big, sloppy tears at the end.
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Grad, it is a wonderful book and I am glad to hear it made you cry too! You are right, definitely not easy, light reading though its plain style makes you think it should be. I love books that do that!
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I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of the book and listen to Kazio Ishiguro at Ely Cathedral. I then read it after having it sit on my shelf for a week. I too loved it and found it thought provoking and memorable. The theme of forgetting and memories touched me and was a wonderful story tinged with sadness and poignancy. 🙂
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Ruth, oh you are so lucky to have a signed copy! Axl and Beatrice broke my heart and I really appreciate how their relationship was not portrayed as sweet old couple or sentimental. A really lovely book.
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thank you thank you thank for this review. I’ve been torn about picking it up because I loved his other novels so much and couldn’t bear the thought of being disappointed – I will move this to the top of my tbr list because of your review. Thanks!
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Courtney, so glad it helped you decide to read the book! This is only the second Ishiguro I’ve read and I’m beginning to think he is going to end up among my favorite writers!
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I’ve always enjoyed Ishiguro but was on the fence on this one. So glad to read your review and that you liked. Of course these types of books though are the ones I have to be in the mood for but I think I would definitely enjoy it.
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I think I have got to read this one! Actually Ishiguro’s spare prose style really sounds like something that would work well with a story like this (and that period which is so rich in suggestion). Very interesting review.
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Ian, yes, the spare style works really well with this story, it makes it feel really old but it still has a modern freshness to it.
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Iliana, If/when you get to it I hope you like it!
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I am so happy that I stumbled onto your site. I wanted to read The Buried Giant when I watched a part of the Gaiman and Ishiguro interview you have linked to. I love Ishiguro’s spare language and it is good to know it works well here. I can imagine how this book is not-quite-fantasy-fiction, just like Never Let Me Go was not-quite-science-fiction. Your review just convinced me to buy the book, already. What a wonderful post. 🙂
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Priya, thanks! Yes, if you liked how Never Let Me Go was not quite science fiction then you will definitely like the not quite fantasy approach of Buried Giant. Plus, Ishiguro is such a smart writer, if you just trust that he knows what he’s doing and that you are in good hands, then it is easy to relax and enjoy and not let expectations get in the way. I hope you like the book when you read it!
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