I finally read The Unconsoled

The Unconsoled is Kazuo Ishiguro's most divisive novel. Many call it a masterpiece; others call it much worse things. Here's what I thought.
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More thoughts about Ishiguro: booksandbao.com/kazuo-ishigur...
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[@WillowTalksBooks]

This video will probably frustrate me for a long time to come. There are so many more thoughts, interpretations, analyses, observations, whatever that I wanted to go over. I could talk about The Unconsoled for hours. It's not my favourite Ishiguro but it's the one that has lodged itself in my head the deepest. Maybe I'll do a second video one day.

[@marinellamaccagni6951]

What' s your favourite ishiguro' s book? I prefer murakami' s books best.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

My favourite is An Artist of the Floating World but I think his best is Remains of the Day.

[@marinellamaccagni6951]

@@WillowTalksBooks , I completely agree with both your affirmations! Even if I haven' t read the buried giant, the unconsoled and klara and the sun yet.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Klara is also very special. It explores love in so many ways. A beautiful novel!

[@user-iu4ws6vh5s]

This was incredible. Please do a second. I never hear anyone talk about this novel. It’s haunted me for years!

[@paulrowe2615]

I found out about your website through your KZbin video on Murakami’s portrayal of women. Since then, I’ve been watching your reviews and enjoying your recommendations! This is the review I’ve been waiting for, though. Such a difficult novel to process let alone review in a video format. I applaud you! Most people would dodge this one. I love what you say about it being only half like Kafka. Thematically, I think it’s even more complex. I have a friend who absolutely loves it, but I’m somewhere in the middle. It’s a masterpiece, but still only his third or fourth best novel. Think about that! Ishiguro is a genius.

[@adamwan0527]

You made me think about a lot of things in this review, though I got to say you nailed it on the head when you said the book has a Kafkaesque form and structure. I actually didn't realize the similarity between this and The Trial until you mentioned, and now that I realize that it's almost like a little eureka moment. Aside from that, the book reminded me of Murakami, in its dream logic. Murakami's work is easier to follow in that regard-and it makes a little more sense thanks to how "self-aware," I guess, he tends to write them-but I loved how Kazuo Ishiguro nails that almost utter lack of real world logic, and how he makes certain things seem like the most ordinary thing in the world. The scene in the beginning, in the elevator, where this woman appears out of nowhere behind them while the guy's telling his story-it made me laugh out loud, to say the least. In my head, I just went "Ah! Brilliant! Haha!" Anyway, that's enough of me rambling. Also, that's a nice jumper! I wish I have more clothes like that. The ones I have sometimes make me squirm in how "masculine" they seem to me. Still, have a nice day!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I totally agree, there are a lot of similarities between this and Murakami. So many great Japanese authors go for the Kafkaesque. If you haven't, check out the works of Kobo Abe and Hiroko Oyamada. And thank you for complimenting my jumper. I can't stand to wear anything masculine anymore 💜

[@mikkareads]

When the German translation of one of his books was published some years ago, the publishing house invited a number of book reviewers to a Zoom meeting with Kazuo Ishiguro. I was SO star-struck, and I don't think I said anything except for "hello". But he started out by asking us to call him "Ish", because "Kazuo Ishiguro" was too long, and that kind of broke the ice. I don't know why, the memory just popped into my head. I'm sad to say that I still have not read all of his book, and "The Unconsoled" is one that I still need to get to.

[@FrostglowASMR]

I love the surrealism in this novel! Some of the other characters can be read as Ryder himselft at different points in his life. Like the little kid and the old man that also used to be a pianist, I think? (Sorry, it's a long time since I read it). I understand why people don't like it though. I felt the frustration of postponement after postponement, of never getting things done, of never reaching the place you were going to, etc. There was a lot of that. At the same time, that also made it great. It was so well done.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I completely agree! And that's a very good observation about the other characters representing forms of Ryder! It's amazing how Ishiguro made you feel Ryder's frustration through the form, structure, and length of the novel. So damn clever.

[@morbidswither3051]

I am obsessed with The Unconsoled.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Me too, I still think about it constantly.

[@knutthecute]

It is the only book that I have read twice since I was a child.

[@VM-wc4xp]

I completely agree with all of the positive qualities you mentioned. However, on the contrary, I wish the novel was much longer (as a matter of fact, make it never end!) especially in part IV where I found the ending to be rushed. Now I'm on the lookout for more books like The Unconsoled, otherwise I'm going to have to just keep rereading it to experience the immersive dream-like experience that no other book has made me feel before. Some of my favorite scenes from the book that are just delightfully absurd and hilarious to me: 1. Gustav becoming bashful in the elevator to the point of gradually turning to face the other direction from Miss Stratmann's praise 2. The photographer and journalist talking smack about Ryder right beside him 3. Ryder coming across his harsh facial expressions captured in the newspaper photos of him in front of the Sattler monument 4. Ryder caressing his old rusty family jeep 5. Brodsky appearing injured literally out of nowhere on his bicycle in front of Ryder's borrowed car 6. The revelation that the surgeon sawed off Brodsky's prosthetic leg 7. The cupboard above the concert hall - just perfection 8. Christoff's group of intelligent friends just dining in a cafe in the middle of nowhere, eating mashed potatoes with wooden spoons 9. The piano situation in the drawing room 10. The piano situation in the annex

[@BlueSky-ff3vr]

He has become my favorite author for now. I was looking for a book to read and found one of his books on my bookshelf that I had forgotten I had bought. The writing is so exquisite that I quickly became entranced. The Unconsoled is the 4th book of his I've read and I picked up on the dream qualities early on. I'm just enjoying the journey of reading it.

[@axeldesoomer]

I just finished the book yesterday and I totally agree about the length, a little over the half way point I just kept reading to be done with it and see how the concert goes. Thanks for the extra opinions and information.

[@oldforestroad]

Willow, the way you talk about a book is so excellent, with explorative motions and honest comments. I love this channel and the work you are doing. Thank you! In other news: Snowy for the win! 😽

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aw thank you so much! I'm glad my approach resonated 💜

[@14ofspades78]

Great review as always. I picked up Never Let Me Go a few months ago because of you and I can't get enough of Ishiguro's writing now! (Also at 8:25 i guess you could say "halfkaesque"!)

[@WillowTalksBooks]

lol damn, what a missed opportunity! Also yay for Never Let Me Go!

[@ardhendusekharkar3522]

Hey Willow! I found your channel earlier this year and since then have read, based on your recommendations, The Corset, Honjin murders, Inugami curse, decagon house murders, Never let me go and am currently reading Klara and the Sun. Thanks a lot for all of your recommendations and for introducing so many translated works! 😁 PS: I really like these newer style of bookcovers (like the one you have) for Ishiguro. They are really simple and somehow suit his books a lot.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

That is all so wonderful to hear, thank you! 💜 And I agree, I really enjoy these new covers as well. Part of me wants to collect them all!

[@knutthecute]

I found this as the first result when searching on favourite book the unconsoled....and after watching this video have just subscribed . I love your analysis of this book!

[@Nikita35485]

I can say Ihsiguro's "The Unconsoled" is my first fiction book that I've started to read in a foreign language; my native is Russian and my level of English is appropriately intermediate. I bought it in a type of a local bookstore in which you can obtain a book from previous owners for a relatively low cost. I partly flabbergasted that there are a lot of grammar staff I can fully realize or find out the meaning from the contex etc. Alhough there are a number of words and even sentences with clauses which meaning I cannot understand so I use a translation for this, but not very much. Now I'm on the 54th page and I continue reading. P.S. Thanks for solving a task instead of me: as a non-native speaker I was interested how to pronounce the main character's surname, Ryder: "reeder" or "rider". Now I've heard a real variant of a pronunciation from a native speaker. Yes, a book that you read may engage in many ways about which you even didn't think!

[@RichardCharter]

Thanks so much for this review - I just finished this one and really appreciated your thoughts. Interestingly, this is the first of Ishiguro's that I picked up, almost on a whim. I loved the dream-like absurdity and in spite of its length, I found myself turning pages with eager anticipation. I'm hooked now and look forward to reading more of his work.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I completely agree, this book is such a page turner, yet it feels purpose built to not be a page turner. It feels almost physically addictive.

[@TKTalksBooks]

I love ALL of Ishiguro’s books. (even The Buried Giant and When We Were Orphans) The Unconsoled is, however, my favorite reading experience and has stuck with me the most and the longest.

[@xJillie]

Great video! I always appreciate the way you discuss books. I’ve been working on reading all of Ishiguro’s novels this year, and when I got to The Unconsoled, I was so confused. I didn’t know anything about it, and I’m still not sure how I feel. I would’ve been able to enjoy it more had I known what to expect, so it will probably be my first reread of his. All I have left to read is The Buried Giant 😭

[@WillowTalksBooks]

What a wonderful year of reading! The Unconsoled is such an outlier amongst his fiction. I imagine reading it after one of his others would give you whiplash!

[@DrewofAnd]

Really great review!

[@ianp9086]

I agree with all of that and I loved the dream aspects that were so well done. I read it shortly after it came out and I don’t recall it being too long at all - you become lost in the dream and maybe some of the dream logic becomes normalized. My favourite Ishiguro by far, partly I think because it is so different from anything else I’ve read and to pull off a 500 page dream is some achievement!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I completely agree! I know that feeling frustrated is part of the point because you're feeling what Ryder feels. Perhaps I was getting a little too lost in the dream and it was almost intimidating me. This novel got in my head like a book so rarely does! The man's a genius.

[@rachel1021]

I really like Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun. However I've been a bit hesitant to read more of his books. But you got me intrigued, and now I want to check this out despite me also having a hard time with 500+ page books :)

[@jenniferlovesbooks]

I love Ishiguro and have three of his books left to read, one being The Unconsoled. I tried to read it several years ago but had to put it to one side (because of health reasons it wasn't the best time for me to read such a surreal, dreamlike book). But I am really looking forward to picking it up next year, even more so after hearing your thoughts so thank you 😊

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I'm glad to hear that you're in a better place now and ready to tackle such a strange book! I also really hope you enjoy it as much as I did 💜

[@jenniferlovesbooks]

@@WillowTalksBooks thank you so much, I can't wait to read it 💞

[@alessandravisca2709]

great review!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you :)

[@juliea4857]

Sounds fascinating. Now I’m really interested!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Glad to hear it!

[@sylviakanel9766]

Sounds like a lot of work in a way. Interesting that it can haunt you like a dream. Thanks for covering it.

[@mikkareads]

Btw, I'm a lucid dreamer, and a lot of the scenes you've described would be instant cues for a reality check - dream logic indeed.

[@5hif7yx86]

if you love the lack of clarity then give "the box man" a go by Kobo Abe. There's a practically no clarity in that book and yet i couldn't stop thinking about it after i finished it.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I actually recommended Abe to someone else who commented earlier. The Box Man is a wild ride!

[@chrisrichards7063]

I think I need to read some Ishiguro. I'm pretty sure I had to read one of his books in college, didn't really get on with it, haven't read anything of his since! (That's happened with a few things I needed to read for whatever reason; because there was that reason, I didn't just appreciate them as books.) Nice jumper and glasses, by the way!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

That happens to so many of us with so many books! Bad teachers and a school setting spoil so many good books. It's a real shame. I remember reading Iris Murdoch's The Bell in college and loved it in spite of having shit teachers.

[@chrisrichards7063]

@@WillowTalksBooks So where should an Ishiguro novice start? With The Unconsoled, or nah?

[@WillowTalksBooks]

@@chrisrichards7063 Absolutely nah! I'd go with Remains of the Day. It's his best but also his simplest. That book is laser-focussed when it comes to characters, plot, and themes. A perfect novel.

[@Ali94749]

My favourite Ishiguro :) When the concert finally happens it is so well written and strangely moving moving. Agree it could have been cut down though.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

God, by the time you reach the end, your emotions have all been churned around so badly. Loved it.

[@isabelab6851]

Will have to come back after I read this book. I think I may have read it…but don’t remember…so definitely a must read again?

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Haha I'm also at that point in my life where I'm forgetting if I've read certain books already or not...

[@jassdad5202]

I've only read one book of his so far, which was The Remains of the Day. It was excellent. I definitely have to read this one now.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I think Remains of the Day is probably his best novel so at least you've read his number one! It's so refined and focussed on its themes and execution. Not a word out of place.

[@Fordnan]

'The Unconsoled' was my first Ishiguro novel. Which in some ways is a shame, because I don't feel it can be surpassed. His other works are superb, but nothing gets close to this book. 'The Buried Giant' comes close.

[@yxuanberries]

wanted to purchase this on amazon because it was on sale for 6sgd… seeing this review, i think it would be a good book!

[@emiliomora815]

I really got stressed and frustrated while reading The Unconsoled…, people always pushing Ryder around… I enjoyed reading it, I like the General undertone flow of the novel all incidents leading to the final concert, it is like Beethoven 9th symphony…, all leading to the final climax… my favorite ones are When we were orphans Never let me go and Klara

[@altodomino7859]

I would've liked for this book to be significantly longer. I'd rank it fourth of Ishiguro's works, after Never let me go, Klara, and ROTD.

[@dawnfen]

Good intro before I dive into it

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Be safe, traveller

[@crubbythebeagle57]

honey is well vlogs great

[@cherusiderea1330]

I just started reading the book and found it ... odd. Nothing made sense. At some point after 50 pages I was like, "This has to be a dream or he's dead and a ghost or something." I didn't think the whole book could be like this and turned a few pages to see if he woke up sometime soon bc I remembered that he went to sleep in the beginning, but I saw no hint. Turned to the last page, no sign. I'm so impatient I couldn't just read on to find out (also I'm an extremely slow reader), so I tried Google, KZbin next. I'm glad I found your video, I didn't watch all of it to not spoil all of the book, but I think I can read on now. I was so anxious I had somehow missed the point? But seems I actually didn't? lol

[@s4k]

As someone with anxiety I think that was probably why I didn't really like this book! I wish I would have known more about it going into it because I bet I would have enjoyed it more. But I gotta say I often forget books fairly quickly, even ones I liked a lot, but quite a bit of this book has stuck around in my head so that must mean something!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I completely empathise with your reaction. I have terrible anxiety as well, and there were moments where this novel ate into me a bit.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

A lot, in fact. It took me a week to read and in all that time it didn't let me go. I felt the strain of it and I still do now, even after finishing it.

[@s4k]

@@WillowTalksBooks Kazuo should have titled THIS book Never Let Me Go haha! I think I have more positive thoughts about it after having finished it. I could probably do for a re-read, though it's pretty hefty so I'm not sure if I'm motivated for that, but maybe I just didn't read it at the right time mentally!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

This book will... *looks at camera and raises eyebrow* ... never let you go

[@mjmj424]

Yes. I struggle with anxiety and even though Ishiguro is my favorite author this book sent me into a deep depression. My least favorite of his novels by far but I do think there's a lot of substance there and that's why it hit me so hard.

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

Sounds a weird tale because of the dream logic....and too long...