What To Read

The Nobel Prize-winning Japanese-born British novelist, Kazuo Ishiguro, is one of the most influential and celebrated authors of the last 50 years. His works utilize deeply introspective and elegantly restrained prose to explore themes of memory, identity, loss, and the passage of time, frequently through unreliable narrators.

Many of Ishiguro’s stories take place in dystopian settings, and blend history and surrealism to examine personal and collective guilt, as seen in his most well-known books, The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. Part of Ishiguro’s appeal lies in his ability to bridge Eastern and Western sensibilities, crafting universal stories of longing and self-deception. Ishiguro’s quiet yet profound storytelling cements him as one of contemporary literature’s most compelling voices.

This spring marks the 20th anniversary of Never Let Me Go, celebrated with the release of a new paperback edition. Never Let Me Go ranks high on the list of the best books of the 21st century from The New York Times, which summarizes the magic of the book so well: "Is Ishiguro commenting on biotechnology, reproductive science, the cognitive dissonance necessary for life under late-stage capitalism? He’d never be so didactic as to tell you. What lies at the heart of this beautiful book is not social satire, but deep compassion."

To celebrate this anniversary, we've put together a guide to walk you through each of Ishiguro's major works, so you can explore what makes him one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature.

Never Let Me Go: Twentieth Anniversary Edition (original publication 2005)

Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy grow up in what seems like a typical English boarding school—until they uncover the unsettling truth about their existence. A deeply moving meditation on love, mortality, and the ethics of science, this dystopian novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and adapted into a film starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield.

Already read it years ago? Take it from lit critic Bethanne Patrick that the book is a must-re-read. She included the book in The Atlantic's list of "15 Books You Won't Regret Re-reading."

Klara and the Sun: A GMA Book Club Pick (2021)

Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend designed to provide companionship, keenly observes the world around her in the hope of understanding human emotions. As she forms a powerful bond with a sickly girl, she begins to wonder if she can truly understand what it means to care. The novel delves into the nature of love, consciousness, and the evolving relationship between technology and humanity.

"It’s not a mistake to view Ishiguro’s novels as works of social criticism, but to approach them that way won’t get you to the heart of the thing. The strange and beautiful poignancy of Klara and the Sun has less to do with its commentary on the transformative role of technology in contemporary life than with the flowering of such transcendental thoughts in a mind like a walled garden, unwitnessed by anyone around her..." —Laura Miller in Slate

The Buried Giant (2015)

Set in a mythic, post-Arthurian Britain, this novel follows an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, on a journey to recover their fading memories. Along the way, they encounter knights, ogres, and the looming presence of collective forgetfulness, making this a profound exploration of love, loss, and historical amnesia. This book, the first novel Ishiguro wrote after a 10-year gap, is perhaps his only work that has received widely varying reviews when it came out, but is the closest he comes to writing fantasy if that's your genre of choice!

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (2009)

Ishiguro initially aspired to be a musician and songwriter before fully pursuing his literary career. This collection—a great gift for any music lover—is composed of five loosely connected stories that revolve around music and its impact on human relationships. Promising musicians and fading stars wrestle with longing, ambition, and nostalgia in these beautifully crafted tales filled with moments of quiet revelation and emotional depth.

When We Were Orphans (2000)

Christopher Banks was just a boy when his parents vanished in Shanghai. Now a celebrated detective, he returns to the city determined to solve the case. But war is brewing, and his investigation soon becomes an unsettling journey into his own fractured past. As he delves deeper, reality and illusion blur, reflecting the larger chaos of the Sino-Japanese War. While it may look like a detective novel at a glance, this is another example of how Ishiguro blends and subverts genre to sublime effect.

The Unconsoled (1995)

Brace yourself for this 500+ page book. Nothing in Ryder’s life makes sense. A world-famous pianist, he arrives in a nameless European city for an important performance, only to be pulled into bizarre and disorienting encounters. As reality warps around him, Ishiguro crafts a surreal, dreamlike novel about disconnection, regret, and the weight of expectation.

The Remains of the Day (1989)

A devoted English butler, embarks on a quiet road trip while reminiscing about a lifetime of unwavering service. As he confronts his past, he begins to question whether he sacrificed personal happiness for duty. This poignant novel won the Booker Prize and remains one of Ishiguro’s most celebrated works.

An Artist of the Floating World (1986)

Masuji Ono, an aging painter, looks back on his role in producing propaganda for Imperial Japan. As his country moves forward after World War II, he struggles with personal and societal reckoning. This introspective novel won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

A Pale View of Hills (1982)

Etsuko, a Japanese woman living in England, reflects on her past in Nagasaki, haunted by the tragic fate of her daughter. As she revisits old memories, the novel subtly explores themes of trauma, guilt, and post-war change in Japan, all through Ishiguro’s signature understated prose.