Nocturnes

Nocturnes, Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest book, is literature imbued with all the beauty of a Chopin composition.

The work contains some of Ishiguro’s most unique fiction yet. It explores many of the themes of his most renowned novels, The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World, but the multiple distinct pieces allow for a confrontation of these ideas from varied perspectives. As a collection of short stories, it connects its characters in a translucent web of hope and heartbreak. Though few of the stories share common protagonists, they all contain failed relationships, strained marriages and aspiring musicians. With each, Ishiguro demonstrates his unequaled gift for storytelling. 

Nocturnes begins with “Crooner,” which tells the story of Tony Gardner: a has-been, and in his own words, “Just some crooner from a bygone era.” He is spending time in Venice with his “inimitable” wife, the energetic Lindy Gardner. Tony is determined to make a comeback, even if that means letting Lindy go. After this first story, Ishiguro leaves his audience on a low note, one that reflects the mysterious melancholy of the Venetian night. 

His next piece, “Come Rain or Come Shine,” departs from the tone of the first, a comic intermezzo in Ishiguro’s composition. A middle-aged man visits his old friend’s home only to realize that his presence there is that of a counselor in their failing marriage. The feud between husband and wife builds into a startling crescendo: the wife walks in on the friend crouched down on all fours, chewing magazines to simulate the destructive effects of a rampant dog and stewing a shoe in the kitchen to create a canine smell. Ridiculous, yes, but with Ishiguro as conductor the scene is especially moving, its undertones dense in implication. 

Nocturnes is inspired and inspiring. Every story and every line resonates with music—the music that only the likes of Kazuo Ishiguro could summon up.