This is a relatively short, short collection by Kazuo Ishiguro, that was published in 2009. I think this is his only collection, and perhaps he never really wrote short stories otherwise. The stories are linked thematically, but in some cases with overlapping elements. The thematic elements appear in the title and subtitle: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, and a nocturne is a song related to or inspired by night. Oddly though, I would say not all of these stories are about night?
Anyway, the five stories. The first is narrated by a Polish musician in Venice who is brought into a scheme by a fading American crooner on vacation with his wife. The scheme will be to serenade her via gondola in a last romantic gesture as a kind of goodbye. We learn that the plan is for the couple to divorce so that he can go into his elder years with a new much younger wife, all while she is still young enough to have her own final romance. He’s very romantic as you can tell. The plan is otherwise pretty straightforward, but the conversations about love and aging are less so.
The second story involves a man who is getting older and realizing that the value he seems to provide for his friends is only his musical taste, something he’s questioning the value of himself.
The third story involves a singer-songwriter who leaves London for the countryside to live in an inn owned by his sister. He meets a group of traveling Swiss tourists who give him a glimpse at other ways one’s life could go.
The fourth and longest story is about a jazz musician whose wife suggests he gets reconstructive facial surgery so he’s hot enough to be a star. It’s pretty strained throughout, but while he’s recovering he sparks a friendship in his swank hotel with the now ex-wife of the American crooner also recovering from plastic surgery. There’s a tension throughout that is not easy to predict how and where it will go as they learn more about each other.
The final story involves a young Hungarian cellist who is approached on the street by a virtuoso player who offers up her services as a teacher because of the potential she sees in him.
I can’t say that this book is very good, but also can’t say it’s bad really. Ishiguro has an effortless talent, but sadly his best novels also involve a lot of effort.
