When We Were Orphans

By: Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated by: Michael Maloney

England, 1930s: Christopher Banks has become the country's most celebrated detective, his cases the talk of London society. Yet one unsolved crime has always haunted him: the mysterious disappearance of his parents, in old Shanghai, when he was a small boy.

Moving between London and Shanghai of the interwar years, When We Were Orphans is a remarkable story of memory, intrigue and the need to return.

©2014 Kazuo Ishiguro (P)2014 Faber & Faber

Nostalgic and alluring!

If you could sum up When We Were Orphans in three words, what would they be?

Nostalgic, journey, contentment.

What did you like best about this story?

The depth in the Narrator. The narrative, shows that he is merely, human. confused, most and sometimes wrong.

What does Michael Maloney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His use of accents and dialects develops the other characters but mostly his voice as Christopher shows a vulnerability and arrogance, which helps in developing his character.

If you could take any character from When We Were Orphans out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Jenny, the other orphan, who plays a minor yet vital role.

Any additional comments?

This book is a must read or listen. It is exquisitely written. Kazou Ishiguro is becoming one of my favourite authors.

Connected moments over time

This is a book, an experience even, where vivid moments of childhood, love, career, and family connect over time, illustrating life’s turning points, choices both good and bad.
The descriptions of wartime unpleasantness were more long-winded than necessary, but they were I suppose a valid part of the whole.
Read superbly with feeling.

Orphan forever

Another stunningly well written masterpiece outlining an undying quest to reunite with his parents and on some level to deal with missing pieces of his life that he was unable to recover.

Loved it so much.

A story I got totally lost in. If ever becomming a film I hope it will respect the authors amazing art of story telling.

Fascinating historical fiction

Ishiguro is a genius. I realised this was one of few of his works I hadn't already read and decided to listen to it through audible.
I've been traveling into work with my mind immersed in 1940s Shanghai, following our protagonist, Christopher, as he searches for his missing parents. What a way to breathe colour into your commute!
Ishiguro's characters are complex, human, and flawed. I've been both entertained and educated as I learnt about the opium trade in the far East.
Well worth the time.