Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

The five stories in this, Ishiguro's first story collection, are bound by the conflict between what music promises and what life delivers. Like a cycle, the collection begins and ends in the same place – Italy – and it contains modulations of tone that would be awkward within a single narrative. The opener, "Crooner", establishes a mood of quiet melancholy. The second story, "Come Rain or Come Shine", is largely farcical, involving a man impersonating a dog in an effort to cover up a mistake, while the third story is more reflective. Certain motifs and images – of hotels and places of transition, of open windows – recur from story to story.Each is heartbreaking in its own way, but all require a level of attention that Ishiguro's writing rewards.