#68: The Buried Giant

Ishiguro, Kazuo: The Buried Giant. New York: Random House, 2015. Print. 317 pages. 

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SETTING: 6th-century England ("Sub-Roman Britain" according to Wikipedia).
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SUMMARY: Axl and Beatrice are an elderly couple who begin to notice that not only they, but their entire village, have forgotten series of events, both significant and insignificant.  They simply have no memory of them occurring.  One morning, Axl and Beatrice suddenly remember they have a son and start on a journey to find him in his village, a place they only have a vague memory of.  On the way, they discover that there is a reason behind why everyone is so forgetful, and they have the chance to help change this.  But with this change comes the possibility of unwanted memories surfacing, memories that might test Axl and Beatrice's love for each other...

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FAVORITE QUOTE: "'...And then he ventured something I dismissed at the time, but have since much pondered.  The stranger thought it might be God himself had forgotten much from our pasts, events far distant, events of the same day.  And if a thing is not in God's mind, then what chance of it remaining in those of mortal men?'" - Chapter 3, page 64.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I saw this book while browsing a Barnes and Nobles in DC.  I liked the cover and bookmarked it in my head to read at a later time.  I found it at the local library near my parents' home this past winter break and picked it up to read.
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Things I liked about this book:

1. The idea that some things are better left forgotten.  Throughout the entire book, Axl and Beatrice grapple with the fact that remembering forgotten events could bring forth unexpected and unwanted negative emotions, like sadness, anger, guilt, etc., and they are constantly battling with whether or not it is to their benefit to keep the forgotten buried.  I really liked this theme in the book, because it is something we all face in everyday life.  We are curious by nature, but sometimes curiosity can lead to the exposure of information we did not want or need to know, information that can possibly be hurtful.  Sometimes we receive information that, had it not been divulged, our lives would have continued without a hitch, but now that it has been revealed, it has led to something negative.  On the other side, sometimes knowing is a positive that enhances our lives or helps make better decisions.  Unfortunately, the outcome in such a situation is unknown until it happens.
2. The reason behind why everyone has a hazy memory of the past.  It's intriguing.
3. Edwin's other-worldly connection to his mother.  Although... see point #3 below.

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Things I didn't like about this book:

1. Boring storyline.  The action packed scenes that were supposed to be full of meaning and wonder?  BORING.  The characters?  BORING.  The ending?  BORING.
2. Gawain's character.  He is whiny and annoying.
3. The lack of a conclusion regarding Edwin's other-worldly connection to his mother.  This part of the book isn't fully explained, and I was really looking forward to the explanation.  
4. The ending.  It is one of those endings where the meaning is up to the interpreter, which is all fine and well, except I have the tendency of leaning towards a negative interpretation in such situations, and then I'm sad at the end of the book.  This is exactly what happened here.

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I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would.  It is obviously a book that is trying to relay a higher message through a simple tale, and I do appreciate such books, but this is not one of them.  This seems like one of those pretentious books where people who adore it will argue that I didn't enjoy it because I'm too stupid to understand the message.  This may very well be the case, but I'm pretty sure I got it, and I still didn't like it.  Also, this is one of the few times where my often used method of picking a book based on aesthetics failed!
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Recommend?  No.