I had stayed away from this book for quite a while, not only because it wasn’t my usual go-to genre of fantasy/sci-fi, but also because for a long time, I never had the capacity to consume books I deemed ‘heavy’ reads. I picked this up as part of a book club read and was pleasantly surprised by it, and mildly annoyed at myself for my ignorance in judging a book without any evidence to back it up.
The Remains of the Day is the story of Stevens, a butler from the Darlington household, who decides to take a vacation of sorts driving through the English countryside en-route to Clevedon where a former colleague now resides. During this motoring journey of a few days, he reflects a lot on his past, his previous and current employer, certain aspects of being a butler attached to an esteemed household, and some of the necessary traits required for a man in that position. There are several philosophical questions raised as well, the most common recurring thought through the book being the concept of dignity, and what that means/entails. We also see how over the course of his journey, Stevens slowly begins to realise, and accept, that certain notions and decisions taken by him, and his past employer, were not always the right ones; no matter the intention. Having to come to terms with this is obviously difficult and we can see him wrestle with this fact through his self-reflection and, sometimes, his actions in the present.
There are other characters we are introduced to as well, as part of Stevens’ self-reflection, who have in some way shaped/molded the man into what he is today. His relationships with his father, and Ms.Kent, were the highlights, both of which were profound in their influence yet the importance of which wasn’t realised by Stevens until it was too late.
It’s hard to believe that something that sounds so droll as a book about a butler’s self-reflection on a holiday could elicit such strong emotions within me but that was exactly the case. I smiled, chuckled, and shed a tear more than I expected to. The prose was beautifully written and very easy to read, and I found myself engrossed without any effort on my part. There are several takeaways from this book, and that will depend on the reader and their disposition at the time of reading, but one thing I’m sure everyone will take away at the end of this book is that if you love someone, let them know before it is too late. This book is as much about love lost as it is a scathing look at 1930s society in Britain.
I’d recommend this book to absolutely anyone. It’s a beautiful read and one I will remember for a long time.
Rating: 4/5
Links:
Liminal Ramblings 