Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day tells the story of Stevens, a middle-aged English butler who has worked at the English estate of Darlington Hall from the 1920s up to 1956, when the novel takes place. The novel describes Stevens’ road trip through the English countryside to visit a former colleague. The trip prompts him to reflect on his past professional and private life, when the nobleman he served got caught up in the political turmoil before World War II. Published in 1989, the novel touches on issues of obligation to others, oneself, and the world, as well as societal change and the power of personal regret. It won the prestigious Booker Prize.