This is my fourth Ishiguro book, and each time I review one of his books I talk about how quiet, subtle, and restrained his beautiful prose is. This one is no exception, and what I love about his writing is that there are always multiple layers to peel back to get to the heart of the story.

On the surface, this book is about an aging butler named Stevens who, while taking a road trip to Cornwall to visit a former housekeeper he worked with at Darlington Hall, reminisces about several events that happened in the years before WWII when he served Lord Darlington and about the nature of his profession in general. Like all Ishiguro narratives, Stevens is not entirely reliable. We see that he sometimes second-guesses his own memory and is often making attempts to justify or defend the actions of his former employer, to whom he is unquestioningly loyal.

We see through Stevens' recollections of his father, who was also a butler, how he could have come to be the buttoned up, socially and emotionally clueless character he is. We see through his memories of Lord Darlington how the loyalty and professionalism that he takes so much pride in has blinded him to the huge events happening in his world. And we see through his interactions with Mess Kenton, the former housekeeper, that he has feelings even if he doesn't understand them or know how to express them.

Although Stevens as a narrator is matter-of-fact, detached, and almost clinical in recounting the events of his life, the story that we the reader see unfold is beautiful, tender, and profoundly moving, and I came to really care for him. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one as your first Ishiguro novel if you haven't read any of his work before, if you are already a fan, this one might just cement his place in your favorites forever.