The Unconsoled

Ryder, a renowned pianist, arrives in a Central European city he cannot identify for a concert he cannot remember agreeing to give . . . On first publication in 1995, The Unconsoled was met in some quarters with bewilderment and vilification, in others with the highest praise. One commentator asked, 'Has Ishiguro gone for greatness or has he gone mad?' Over the years, this uniquely strange and extraordinary novel about a man whose life has accelerated beyond his control has come to be seen by many as being the key work and a turning point in his career. 'A masterpiece. It is above all a book devoted to the human heart.' Rachel Cusk, The Times 'The most original and remarkable book he has so far produced.' New York Times Book Review 'One of the strangest books in memory.' TLS 'I've never read a book like it. I think it is a masterpiece.' John Carey, The Late Show

Ryder, a renowned pianist, arrives in a Central European city he cannot identify for a concert he cannot remember agreeing to give . . . On first publication in 1995, The Unconsoled was met in some quarters with bewilderment and vilification, in others with the highest praise. One commentator asked, 'Has Ishiguro gone for greatness or has he gone mad?' Over the years, this uniquely strange and extraordinary novel about a man whose life has accelerated beyond his control has come to be seen by many as being the key work and a turning point in his career. 'A masterpiece. It is above all a book devoted to the human heart.' Rachel Cusk, The Times 'The most original and remarkable book he has so far produced.' New York Times Book Review 'One of the strangest books in memory.' TLS 'I've never read a book like it. I think it is a masterpiece.' John Carey, The Late Show

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize-winning novel The Remains of the Day , here is a novel that is at once a gripping psychological mystery, a wicked satire of the cult of art, and a poignant character study of a man whose public life has accelerated beyond his control. The setting is a nameless Central European city where Ryder, a renowned pianist, has come to give the most important performance of his life. Instead, he finds himself diverted on a series of cryptic and infuriating errands that nevertheless provide him with vital clues to his own past. In The Unconsoled Ishiguro creates a work that is itself a virtuoso performance, strange, haunting, and resonant with humanity and wit.

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize-winning novel The Remains of the Day , here is a novel that is at once a gripping psychological mystery, a wicked satire of the cult of art, and a poignant character study of a man whose public life has accelerated beyond his control. The setting is a nameless Central European city where Ryder, a renowned pianist, has come to give the most important performance of his life. Instead, he finds himself diverted on a series of cryptic and infuriating errands that nevertheless provide him with vital clues to his own past. In The Unconsoled Ishiguro creates a work that is itself a virtuoso performance, strange, haunting, and resonant with humanity and wit.