The Remains of the Day Reviews

A deeply moving and beautifully constructed novel, The Remains of the Day tells a story of a perfect English butler who, at the twilight of his career, goes on a road trip through the English countryside and an internal journey of revisiting/remembering his past in an attempt to find his place in the world and justify the choices he has made in his life. The novel is set in post-WWII England during the time when the country has undergone many changes; the butler, who epitomizes the "old" England and its glorified traditions, finds himself increasingly out of place and out of time. The novel, then, is partially about English national identity, but it is also about an individual trying to hold on to a tradition and a belief that is quickly losing its meaning and significance. It is a sad journey of a man who tries to reconstruct history and his memory in order to cling to his old identity and "the dignity in keeping with one's position." As a journal form, the novel calls into question the reliability of one's memory in relation to story-making and identity. The protagonist Stevens, even in his private space, is a split subject, as indicated by the different uses of pronouns referring to himself in his own journal. Beneath the calm and reserved language of a butler there is always the current of quiet desperation and volatile emotions that are inexpressibly violent and ultimately sad.

The Remains of the Day is a powerful and haunting novel. Its complexity is often disguised in its simple language, but the sadness is literally heartbreaking and resonates to the core of one's being. An unforgettable book.