A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (his first novel and published in 1982) concerns Etsuko, a woman now living on her own in England, and the memories of a summer in post-war Nagasaki. This particular summer is marked by the arrival of Sachiko, a single mother and her daughter, Mariko. 

The stark contrast between Etsuko and Sachiko is the strongest plot point throughout the book, with Etsuko representing a more traditional female role with regards to her husband (for the time period) compared to Sachiko's undoubtedly chaotic and unconventional nature (especially with regards to her daughter). 

At times I felt like this was a very simple story, and at other times, I felt like a lot was going over my head. I would attribute that to a very formal and rigid writing style, and the fact that I haven't read fiction that is meant to represent post-war Japan. 

I don't think I can make a definitive call about Ishiguro until I read something else by him (which I will do at some point), but there was the issue of animal cruelty/death that ultimately served no purpose to the story, which is a pretty big red flag for me. If that's included there better be a compelling reason, and that was not the case here.