The Buried Giant

The Buried Giant, published in 2015, is the latest of 8 novels from Kazuo Ishiguro. The settings is the medieval time period after King Arthur's reign. It's imaginative to write about the final days of Gawain, an Arthurian knight. Gawain and a young Saxon warrior Wistan are at cross purposes except for helping an old couple, Arl and Beatrice on a journey to visit their son. Arl and Beatrice could not remember the past due to a mist which shroud everything from the eyes as well as the mind.

The novel touches lightly on (i) suppressing memories of past violence and bloodshed so that there would be no desire for vengeance and peace could be attained. Such suppression takes away all memories, be they good or bad, for all people. (ii) devotion, for lack of a better word. The devotion between husband and wife (Arl and Beatrice), master and servant (Arthur and Gawain), teacher and protege, (Wistan and Edwin) are quite touching, but there seems to be blind loyalty, and clouded judgment in some of the devotion.

I would classify The Buried Giant as fantasy novel. (I find it hard to classify three of his other novels which I have read). I have always like Ishiguro's language. However, The Buried Giant compared to his other works is more tedious to read, due to repetition as Arl and Beatrice keep checking what more each other could recall, and how tired all the old folks are from their ordeal. Still, I am glad I finished reading it as it is quite a good story. And it's Ishiguro's mastery of language that leads to the intrigue in the ending. One ponders on whether to trust the boatman, and the intentions of Axl and Beatrice.

I like this review of The Buried Giant.
http://mookseandgripes.com/reviews/2015/03/05/kazuo-ishiguro-the-buried-giant/