I for one did enjoy When We Were Orphans, especially once I started to glompse beyond the narrators perception of things. Although I agree with some of your negative points about it. >!His mother's fate, seriously?!<.

In fact, I enjoyed it more than Buried giant, but that may be because I read that one translated and my complaints are mostly about language.

Glad to hear that the rest of his books are good though, will read them, eventually!