The Romans have left England and there is an uneasy peace between Saxons and Britons in a hostile land where ogres and dragons still live. A mist, the breath of a dying dragon, has descended upon the country and all memory is smothered, even for recent events. Axel and Beatrice, two elderly Britons, decide to leave their community in search of a son whom they only vaguely remember, and this story is their journey.
As they travel, they become unwilling protagonists in the often violent intrigues of those who would kill the dragon and thereby allow the recrudescence of forgotten war crimes between Saxons and Britons to explode in another bloody conflict, and those who wish to preserve the status quo so as to avoid war.
The couple also meet a boatman who ferries people to the isle of the dead. Only couples who can prove that their love for one another is true and pure, can be brought to the island together. Afraid that she and Axel will fail the test because they will be unable to remember their life together, Beatrice wants the dragon to be slain. Axel, who is slowly retrieving glimpses of the past, remembers scenes of battle and betrayal and is not so sure.
The novel is a fantasy in which historical fact is mixed with myth and this has frustrated some reviewers. The prose is sparse and elegant. The themes of memory, of loss and of things buried in the heart, are ever-present. As the mist recedes, both Axel and Beatrice begin to remember their past together. Their love is real, described by Ishiguro in language that is exquisitely tender and restrained.
O.H. (Ireland, 2015)
This book is about the importance of memory to the human person, living in relation with others. Without memory of our own actions, our conscience is hampered; our relationships are impoverished without the memory of the times we spend with others. However, it is not clear what exactly Ishiguro is trying to achieve in this novel. This ambiguity may come from a worldview of hopelessness that emerges as the novel progresses. In the end, the author sees no other possibility than the never ending cycle of revenge and a fear that there is no such thing as forgiveness.
M.G. (U.S.A., 2018)