It takes place in a post-Arthurian age where Britons and Saxons who had so recently been in heated conflict have now formed a somewhat peaceful co-habitation within the countryside. The two travel through the countryside trying to reunite with their son. It focuses on an older couple who the narrator refers to as Beatrice and Axel. This is a journey tale set in early Medieval Britain with fantastical elements.

One thing is for certain: Ishiguro never writes in the same style and this novel is no exception. On the day “The Buried Giant” was published, I was one of the first people queuing up to buy a copy. Since 1995, he’s only published a book about every five years so any new one comes as a major event for me and his legions of fans. But, as it was, I became a committed fan and I especially appreciated the variations of story and subject he exhibited in his book of short stories “Nocturnes” – another book which received uneven responses. Perhaps if I first came upon it earlier or later in life I wouldn’t have been as dazzled. At the same time, I could understand why some people were put off by the book because of its lack of a totally coherent story. I still think of it as one of my favourite novels. Reading “The Unconsoled” I was astounded by the way he could stretch narrative to act like a dream in order to say so much about ambition, love, creativity and fear. I came to love Ishiguro’s writing when I was studying at university.

The buried giant meaning