The Buried Giant

Set in Arthurian Britain just after King Arthur’s death,The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro’s seventh novel, is told in four parts and focuses on an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, and their journey to find their son. Along the way, they must deal with issues of memory, aging, love, loss and death. While the voice of a narrator frames the novel, much of the story is told from the shifting perspectives of the major characters of the novel. Elements of fantasy dot the landscape of Arthur’s Britain, with ogres, witches, and a dragon playing their parts. The general tone of the setting the elderly couple traverse is one of mystery and buried sadness, as a mist has permeated the lands, causing all people to forget much of their respective pasts.

The novel is best summed up by discussing the detours on Axl and Beatrice’s journey, and the characters they meet along the way. Along their journey, Axl and Beatrice come across a variety of characters that both aid the elderly couple on their journey and hinder them, as well. The first meeting Axl and Beatrice have is with an elderly woman, known later as a dark widow, and a boatman.