When We Were Orphans
- 352
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“When We Were Orphans” is a haunting, inward novel that borrows the form of a detective story to examine childhood trauma. Its narrator has made detection his profession, yet Kazuo Ishiguro follows his inner life more closely than any case. Some readers are pulled through by the need to learn what really happened; those expecting a conventional mystery may find it slow and short on answers.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
When We Were Orphans is the fifth novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro, published in 2000. It is loosely categorised as a detective novel. When We Were Orphans was shortlisted for the 2000 Booker Prize.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.0 across 91 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 38% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Crime & mystery average of 7.6. That is how 7.4 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.0 | 91 | 100% |
Frequently asked
How long is When We Were Orphans?
It has 352 pages — shorter than 73% of the ranked books in Crime & mystery.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Crime & mystery — and a score of 7.4, the closest to this book.
