The Sales were important to us because that was how we got hold of things from outside. - Kazuo Ishiguro

If you go to Tokyo, I think it becomes very obvious that there's this almost seamless mixture of popular culture and Japanese traditional culture.

Her general drift was clear enough: we were all very special, being Hailsham students, and so it was all the more disappointing when we behaved badly.

... I must admit, if it hadn't been for the encounter on the stairs, i probably wouldn't have taken the interest I did in Tommy's problems over the next several weeks.