Come Rain Or Come Shine - Kazuo Ishiguro

On a wet Friday May morning in London, it seems fitting to be writing about Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Come rain or come shine,' which I read this week.

When I attended the Faber Academy, many years ago, Ishiguro was one of the special guests. It was a small class and I remember asking him a question, the precise wording of which I can't remember. What struck me about his response, was that it reminded me he was just like most other people. He had dreams, fears and hopes. 

The short story captures some of that feeling, but dramatises it in a page turner. In this 80 page book, Ishiguro packs in multiple new problems for the main character and there are moments of humour, particularly around an old muddy boot. He sets these up like the master story teller that he is, amidst the scatterings of secrets,lies and misunderstandings. 

The beginning of the story took me back to my own formative years at University - the friendships, the longing and the expectation life would bring us amazing adventures. The sobering reality of the complexities of relationships, figuring out your career and finding your self are cleverly depicted through the three central characters. Ray is visiting his old university friends, Charlie and Emily, who are married and living the high life in London. The story explores the idea of success, marriage, mental health, being the single friend, knowing someone for 20 years and how we try to keep things together.

What was impressive about this story was that you never quite know where the story is going or what will happen next. It's crafted and satisfying like a work of art. What I also love is that music is threaded throughout it. It creates a certain mood and fits with the themes of regret and what ifs. 

The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017 has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize four times. He won the Booker in 1989 for 'The Remains of the Day.'

'Come rain or come shine' is the third book I've read by Ishiguro. He is talented, but this installment has definitely shown how much he has grown as an author. 

Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Come rain or come shine' is the third short story I've read from the Faber Stories series. It is definitely my favourite. 

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E.M. Blake is the author of Dilly Dally Sally, a picture book about a duckling who is lost and won't give up. 

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