The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

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The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Read Nov 2017


The story is set in England, where knights, ogre and magic abounds.

Axl and Beatrice, the main characters of the book, live in a warren-like place where people has no recollection of anything. They are not happy with their circumstances because they are allocated to the darkest part of the community due to their low status. Axl, who loves Beatrice very much, sees her distress and suggests that they visit their son who lives somewhere else.

Thus the old, loving couple embark on a perilous journey to reach their son.

Along the way, they meet a Saxon warrior on a mission to slay a dragon and a boy who is looking for his mother. That is because the dragon Querig, hiding somewhere, is breathing a mist over the land causing amnesia among the people.

Axl and Beatrice ends up trying to help the duo complete their mission.  They come upon a Christian knight who is related to King Arthur. The knight and the Saxon are enemies because of their different affiliations and Axl has a hard time negotiating peace.

Axl learns that Merlin the magician , under the order of King Arthur, has put a spell on the dragon causing amnesia to the people in the region so that there will be peace. It turns out that the knight ,who they thought is on their side, is actually the dragon’s protector.

Axl slowly recalls his real identity as a knight belonging to the courts of King Arthur but has rejected his mission. Beatrice, despite their love for each other, was adulterous before they lost their memory. Towards the end, Axl realises that their son is already dead and is buried on an island. The mysterious boatman, who promised to bring both of them over, retracts his promise. Due to many constraints, he can now only get one person over at any one time. The reader is left with a cliffhanger as to whether the couple actually made it to the island in the end.  

I am not a fan of fantasy stories but this one appeals to me. The story is narrated from many characters’ perspective and each of them has a very good reason for doing what they did. It is quite philosophical towards the end. Memory is a precious commodity. How much should we remember and yet forgive and how much can we forget and still retain our identity?


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