Sharp, hilarious, poignant. If a book manages to balance all these adjectives, it has to be special. It took me from smile to laugh to moist eyes in a span of 30 pages, and that’s no mean feat. In addition to this, characters written very well, and a deftly delivered commentary on the changing nature of society and its value systems made this book a favourite.
A literally ‘crappy’ beginning is actually a great indication of the author’s ability to make the mundane interesting! There are eleven intertwined stories which bring out a variety of subjects – the Parsi way of life, the clash of old and new mindsets, identity, the idea of home – all dealt with great skill by a sensitive chronicler.
This is the second Ishiguro work I am reading, and much like “The Remains of the Day”, it left me with a feeling of sadness. There are a couple of other parallels in both books too. But this is set in a dystopian future where humans are cloned for organ harvesting, and the clones are not considered to have feelings or emotions, though they actually do. I felt that there was an allegory I was missing, but I could be wrong. A wonderful read nevertheless.
The sequel to Daemon, this book picks up right after its predecessor and sets a scorching pace. It manages to bring up several contemporary themes like extreme capitalism, mass unemployment, neo-feudalism, cyber communities and such. The author continues to make it all seem plausible, and that’s what makes it a good read.
You can read this book literally or read into the symbolism at play. Either way, it is an interesting read, though the latter obviously becomes more enriching because of the various themes involved. It also raises interesting questions on what our memories really are.