Los Restos del Día / The Remains of the Day - by Kazuo Ishiguro (Paperback)

Stevens is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession.

In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious to the real life that goes on around him--oblivious, for instance, to the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer.

Still, there are even larger matters at stake here--namely, Stevens's own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.

This novel perfectly captures the complexities and contradictions of English society in the 1950s, as well as the insidious nature of fascism.

Through Stevens's journey, we are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about our own complicity in the face of evil.

A must-read for anyone interested in the human condition and the power of literature to challenge us to be better versions of ourselves.