Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled is an Achievement of the First Order
“What a long, strange trip it’s been.”
What happens when a world-famous pianist, who comes to town to perform an important concert, is forced to come to terms with who he really is? Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled has the feel of a cross between Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and the magical realism of Jorge Luis Borges. Like each of these authors, he has created a work that defies categorization.
The Unconsoled is the story of Ryder, a man who has achieved international fame. It opens with the pianist checking into a hotel whereupon he encounters character after character in scene after stretched-out scene in a manner not unlike Alice’s encounters after dropping through the rabbit hole. By means of their behavior toward him, and his internal attitude and responses, we get to know Ryder’s character in ways that at times become both hilarious and excruciating.
As I noted in my recent blog post The Identity Question, about how our identity is not fixed but varies based on context, we get to know Ryder — among other things — as deferential, modest, self-centered, selfless, anxious, overbearing, over-confident, and sensitive.
