Supposedly it's not Ishiguro's strongest novel. Still, I liked it, mostly because the narrator has the same mannerism as the butler of [b:The Remains of the Day|28921|The Remains of the Day|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327128714l/28921._SY75_.jpg|3333111], which this Guardian reviewer attributes to the narrator's avoidance of phrasal verbs. However, whereas the insular world of Darlington Hall made a perfect setting for Stevens' commitment to professionalism, Christopher's quest to Shanghai to chase after his parents' ghosts makes the same delusional tendencies of Ishiguro's narrators disconcerting. Christopher describes that upon his arrival in Shanghai, he was welcomed by the British social circles like a diplomatic fixer. Because if there's anyone who can push those pesky Japanese out of the British backyard, it's a private detective who is here to open up a decades-old missing-person case. The international stakes that Christopher puts his work can be laughable in a way that Stevens' stubborn adherence to his service was slowly devastating.

I sound like I'm complaining, but I want to reiterate that I still liked this book. There are some moments that I really love in this book, like the scene where Sarah persuades Christopher to elope with her to Macau. And I think the reveal at the end about what had happened to Christopher's mother is also devastating. Just don't go into this book thinking it's going to be a detective novel.