After some reflection, I've decided to do things just a bit different with this book review.  I purposely chose a book outside my comfort zone with The Remains of the Day. I struggle with books that are slow and character-driven with little plot, and while this may not be my personal kind of read, I can nonetheless see why so many love it. Instead of doing a "star review", therefore, I'm simply going to share my thoughts. ⁣
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This book has such a strong sense of character, one of the strongest I've ever read, in fact. The point of view of a butler, Stevens, was so utterly believable, so masterfully done, that the English major in me was a bit in awe.  His narration was told with subtlety and restraint, with deep reflection and a slowly niggling doubt. I started out fully trusting this respectable gentleman, but as his perspective ever so gradually shifted and as his doubt edged in, I began to sense he was an unreliable (and yet, to me, still endearing) narrator. I felt like there was a symbolic parallel in his taking his first ever leisurely road trip while also taking his first internal journey of thought and reflection concerning his years of servitude. This was very much an internal, introspective story. It was slow and meandering, which is why I personally struggled with it, but there's no doubt this book is so skillfully and beautifully written. ⁣
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