As I have made clear in several other posts on this website, I am a large fan of Ishiguro’s work. It’s also no secret that I lean more towards shorter fiction. So, logically, Nocturnes should be on my radar as Ishiguro’s only short story collection.
The collection itself not only sports a very pretty cover in its latest reissue by Faber & Faber, but contains five stories of ‘Music and Nightfall’ (according to the subtitle). That sounds like a fairly unique premise for short stories, given that it is hard to revolve silent literature around something as complex and evocative as music.
Certain blurbs and review titbits also hint at elements of romance being interwoven within some of the stories. As much as I am not a sappy reader, I do enjoy well-written romance and the layers of subtle intensity it can add to a story.
All in all, Nocturnes seems to be a short story collection about time moving along and changes occurring in one’s life. Because I don’t want to spoil much for myself, I can’t exactly research or explain further, but its vagueness and slightly abstract premise do attract me to it. Ishiguro’s works always tend to have a very understated blurb, making them seem boring or uninteresting, and then it usually ends up being an immensely enjoyable read from the get-go.
You can certainly look a bit more into Nocturnes if it has piqued your interest. I actually own it, and have almost started reading it on a few occasions, so I may even work my way through each of its five stories this year.
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