The most prominent description in most reviews of Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled is that it is "surreal" or "Kafka-esque." I am embarrassed to admit to the world that I have never read anything by Kafka and didn't see the movie with Jeremy Irons. But I have watched Joe's Apartment and Being John Malkovich, and I was a huge fan of Twin Peaks, so I think I have a grasp of the terminology. And, yes, I suppose it is accurate to say that The Unconsoled is surreal.
To a large degree, the surreal effects are derived from Ishiguro's bending of space throughout the novel. Places that seem far removed from one another turn out to be easily accessed through a series of narrow passages or underground tunnels, much like I imagine mazelike corridors beneath DisneyWorld (itself a rather surreal space). While a number of reviewers use this feature to bolster their argument that the novel represents a dream, it most reminded me of how individuals suffering from dementia attempt to rationalize their disorientation.
Once I made this connection, I read the remainder of the book in the context of Ryder (a concert pianist called to an unnamed Eastern European city to assist with an artistic crisis) as an individual with dementia. He is, like those suffering from dementia, apathetic toward others and seemingly unconcerned by how his behavior might affect them. A diagnosis of dementia would also explain his seeming ability to know what people are thinking and the events that have occurred just prior to his entering a room. He is delusional, and his delusions serve the functional purpose of helping him fill in the blanks of his increasingly porous memory. Ryder displays other symptoms of dementia, including a lack of attention to personal appearance (he attends a number of functions in his dressing gown), impaired judgment (he leaves his son alone for hours at a cafe), disrupted sleep cycle, attention deficits, and impulsivity.
Article comments
1 - kalyan
I agree with you Jeanne Daniel. It has been an exasperating experience reading this novel. I felt uneasy while going through the book. It evoked memories of a sinking feeling I had when I read Kafka's The Trial. At least, Kafka holds your attention in the sense that you are aware of what is going on, though the reasons for the same are not given. Ryder comes out as an irritating character for whom i have absolutely no sympathy. If Ishiguro wanted to convey the dilemmas that man faces in his life, he has succeeded but at what cost? I wonder how the novel won an award. It seems the author's intellectual part got the better of his instincts. This novel for sure leaves the reader unconsoled.
2 - Tim Susman
Interesting take on it! I too felt rather frustrated reading the book at first, but then as events picked up steam, I found myself engrossed. Just posted my own review and linked to yours.