When We Were Orphans

By Kazuo Ishiguro

Categories: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

When We Were Orphans (2000) is Kazuo Ishiguro's fifth novel. Christopher Banks, a well-known English detective in 1930s London, grew up in the International Settlement in Shanghai, where both his parents disappeared when he was a boy. He returns to Shanghai during the Sino-Japanese War, convinced he can solve the case of his parents' disappearance. Banks tells the story himself, and his memories prove less reliable than he believes.

Recommended by 1 person

• Fareed Zakaria: “Too many to list so let me just name four. In fiction, Kazuo Ishiguro, whose first three books — “A Pale View of Hills,” “An Artist of the Floating World” and “The Remains of the Day” — are works of genius.”