I truly loved this book. At first, Mr. Stevens reminded me of Data from Star Trek: TNG, if Data was a butler and writing his memoir. There was some genuine humor in this, albeit dry and understated. But underneath even that is a wonderfully real character, and the progression of his mental journey as he road-trips across the southern UK is evocative and poignant. 
 Often, the strongest feelings are marked by an absence, a crater, as if it would be too much for our hearts to handle. It's only around the edges that you feel some of the pain or loneliness. 
 This is a book about a man standing at the edge of his own absence, and allowing himself to wonder for the first time if it's all been worth it. Wonderful.