*Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel Klara and the Sun is now available* In Nocturnes; Kazuo Ishiguro explores ideas of love; music and the passing of time. From the piazzas of Italy to the 'hush-hush floor' of an exclusive Hollywood Hotel; the characters we encounter range from young dreamers to cafe musicians to faded stars; all of them at some moment of reckoning. Gentle; intimate and witty; this quintet is marked by a haunting theme - the struggle to keep alive a sense of life's romance; even as one gets older; relationships founder and youthful hopes recede. 'Each of these stories is heartbreaking in its own way; but some have moments of great comedy; and they all require a level of attention that; typically; Ishiguro's writing rewards.' Observer '[They] come up on you quietly; but then haunt you for days . These little pieces could only be the work of a great composer.' Evening Standard 'A fine and moving collection of stories; displaying his unique combination of the sad; the stoic and the consoling. It's about failure; but it dignifies failure; and with it; the human condition.' Margaret Drabble; Guardian