Masterpiece of a story

Hard to know where to begin, it’s a dreamlike walk through the life/memory of Ryder, its protagonist. Just the construction of the novel is clever in the extreme but its content covers all of Ryders emotions with great sensitivity. It’s probably one of the best books I’ve ever heard. I don’t think if I was reading it I would have enjoyed it as much as listening to it. It’s a particularly good narration.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

What just happened

One of the oddest books read (or listened to), not in a Murikami purposefully surreal kind of way, but in a way where the reader wouldn’t be surprised if Ishiguro sat down one day and wrote this thing as a random stream of consciousness with little or no understanding of an end destination. There's no trace of 'usual' sensory sequence - time and space has a circular dreamlike quality, which isn’t unappealing, but with so little anchor into anything the reader can often get largely disorientated. And then the characters - a mix of bumbling, often pretentious, overly verbose and frustratingly parochial people... Before I knew (or at least had a strong sense) this was purposeful, I found myself getting hugely frustrated with the book and its occupants, however after giving in to it totally, following the book is like getting swept in an oddly satisfying current - there's no other way to describe it other than 'dreamlike'. Aside from the palpable (but from the author's perspective, purposeful) frustration felt in the pages of The Unconsoled, I found myself laughing out loud at the quick, dry wit - so sharp, it cuts through the otherwise cloud-like drowsiness of the rest of the book. And then, through the fog, there are gems of pure humanity - astute psychological, social and cultural observations carefully woven through inter-personal relationships and interactions, that take you off-guard. From what I have read of other reviews, this book is hugely divisive. This book took me on a journey (or perhaps emotional roller-coaster) that started with confusion, which led to frustration, and ended in amazement. I am on the 'masterpiece' end of the reviewers dichotomy. How many books can elicit such an incredible range of emotions. If you're looking for a tightly-knit satisfyingly sequential narrative, look elsewhere. If you want to go on a journey, read (or listen to, the performance is excellent) The Unconsoled.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

Dreamlike, frustrating and affecting

I thought this was excellent, but I understand people's difficulty with it. The dream logic is unexpected and unusual. The array of bizarre characters with their hangups and illogicality could be hard for someone expecting a cleaner narrative. But I was swept along, and absolutely loved it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

Beautifully written

Beautifully written in a kind of quantum dreamscape this heartfelt tale of missed opportunities flows wonderfully from one scenario to the next with some amazing characters and exquisite humour.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

What happen to number nine?

How does one go about describing this amazing book. Seemingly written in dream logic. Kafkaesque, poignant and very funny in parts (the porters dance in the Hungarian Cafe, an ironing board used as a crutch). I've read it twice before and then listened to this marvelous narration. Simon Vance catches all the nuances in the text and has a beautifully modulated voice, not a crushed cadences missed. Thoroughly recomended. It a masterpiece and utterly original.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

A masterpiece

Beautifully written; the prose reminds me of M John Harrison's, and Simon Vance's narration is top class as usual.

*** Possible spoilers ***

It is a long novel and I can understand why people become confused and give up. Taken at face value it makes no sense and the inconsistencies pile up from page one, but once you understand the basic premise, things begin to come together.

The implicit backstory is that Mr Ryder, a mediocre pianist with a drink problem, gets married and the couple have a child. Ryder's low-paid work frequently takes him away from home and this, together with Ryder's bullying and indifference towards his son, leads to friction with his wife and culminates in a bitter separation. At the end of his life, Mr Ryder falls into a delusional state whereby he symbolically relives key elements of his life, from his youth - desperately eager to please his hyper-critical and overbearing parents - to his later life, where he attempts to confront his habitual willingness to please those around him and his guilt at not having been a good husband or father. In order to deal with all this he constructs for himself the persona of a world-famous pianist, revered and respected by those around him, touring an unnamed but strangely familiar European city. In this place, various aspects of his personality are presented to him as third parties and strangers turn out to be friends and family. It is this latter story that forms the narrative of the book, the backstory needing to be pieced together from the unfolding events.

A really, really good read.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

The tension is compellingly unrelenting

Utterly absorbing and magical - listening each night has been like re-entering an ongoing dream where there is that unrelenting yet delightful tension - nothing is resolved but yet you are compelled to travel onwards, discovering familar but distorted scenes and lives. The narrator breathed life into each character - so well individualised that I could visualise each one completely, his tone reassuring and maintaining gravitas yet verging on somnolence - so right for this book. I will seek him out again.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Couldn’t finish

I got half way and had to stop. The plot is thin and too dream-like in its structure. It started to annoy me and as much as I enjoyed the performance I simply had no interest in continuing. I felt if I kept listening I’d be rewarded with no real feeling of satisfaction by the end and I just didn’t care enough about any of the characters to see how things turned out.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

Narcissism, ADD, Kafka, and regret intertwined

Recent to audible, this was written decades ago.

Beautifully written and impressively narrated, but frustrating as one gets sucked into a scenario in which the protagonist, Ryder, a famed pianist, is both victim and fool.

His narcissism leads him astray; his attention deficit disorder (not mentioned but certainly appears to be the case!) make it difficult for him to stay on task, and despite narrowing time frames and increasingly important decisions he is unable to perform ethically or effectively. Kafka seems omni-present, it is all somehow absurd and we never determine what exactly is going on, why, or who are the winners and losers and in whose interests they are operating. Ryder is not a likeable person and his return to the town of his youth to share his celebrity is clearly manipulated by local elites and others each wanting to a portion of his fame and time for often unclear but seemingly devious agendas.

As with much of Ishiguro's writing, the relationships are interesting and unfold in their complexity; and tales of regret and what might have been. weave their way across the pages.

A compelling read, frustratingly entertaining ... Somehow I still recommend it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

Fabulous narration - really made the book

I doubt I'd have physically read this book to the end, but the narrator brought it alive.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!