Shelf Life

The Remains of the Day, written by Kazuo Ishiguro, is a sad, loving novel about an English Butler named Stevens and his reflection on his past. Steven has been working as a butler for the pass thirty years and is contempt to improve his “conversation” skills, which he refers to as “bantering”; he’s a serious man who wishes to entertain his employer with his bantering. Steven decides to take a trip back to his hometown and to Darlington Hall, the Manson where he had worked for all his life. His main objective in this trip was mainly due to the calling of Miss Kenton, the former owner of the Darlington Hall. Although not mentioned, Miss Kenton’s true intention is to get Steven back to the house where they once had a relation…one that both partners could not confess to one another. As Steven resides and clean the Manson, his past comes to him; he recalls events in the past that he would regret. One of which involves Miss Kenton…
The tension grows as Stevens regrets his history and love life.
 
… This novel is quite sad in the way that Steven doesn’t take control of his life. He is always trying to please other people, yet never really trying to make his own life better. This book is recommended for those love-sick people who were once dumped or going to be.  
 
By Yang Her