A Pale View of Hills

Rating:
Summary: total elegance, and a primer on the Japanese people
Review: While all the accolades from the other reviewers are the absolute truth, I'd like to add a personal note as to why I loved this novel.

I lived a number of years in Japan. I'm often asked what are Japanese people like (ie, their behaviour in society). From now on I'll simply advise people to read A Pale View of Hills. It beautifully (and economically) portrays Japanese people as they deal with social issues. As an added bonus, Ishiguro is very descriptive of post-war Nagasaki - one can almost feel the humidity and smell the odors.

If I might sin and compare this book to the popular Memoirs of a Geisha, A Pale View of Hills is much more understated and less fanciful.