When We Were Orphans (2000) is Kazuo Ishiguro’s fifth novel and was published at a time when the author was already well-known as a Booker-prize winner for The Remains of the Day (1989).
The story is set mostly in the inter-war years and is told by Christopher Banks, an Englishman who was born in Shanghai. As a collection of memories, the narrative goes back and forth between Shanghai and London. We learn from these recollections that he spent his early childhood in Shanghai with his father, an employee of a global trading company, involved with the opium trade into China, and his mother, who was an outspoken critic of opium use. For the most part, Christopher’s childhood is idyllic, living …
1635 words
Citation: Trimarco, Paola. "When We Were Orphans". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 December 2017 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8751, accessed 26 November 2024.]
