Novel – 280 pages – my copy (paperback) found on the staircase of the family home
- 3 nods
Ishiguro has built himself a reputation of being one of the finest of novelists in contemporary Britain, winning prizes and plaudits from works such as The Remains of the Day and The Unconsoled. Never Let Me Go continues in the same vein as these previous works, exploring our emotions, our relationships and asking the question of what it is to be human.
Set in a ‘darkly skewed version’ of modern England, the book follows the life of Kathy H, a thirty-one year old carer. She describes her childhood, growing up without parents at Hailsham School and the friendships she builds with Ruth and Tommy.
Seemingly innocent enough, the novel has a sinister undertone, in that these children are not normal at all, but rather clones born for the purposes of donating their body parts to the rest of society. More and more is revealed, as Kathy herself realises as she grows older: from the reactions of others, including the teachers at Hailsham. Accepting their fate, they continue through their school years and to the process of becoming carers (for the donators), before ending their short road in life as donators themselves.
It is an emotionally moving book, a particular highlight being the affirmation of all they feared towards the book’s end when they meet again with the head of Hailsham. However, the majority of Kathy’s monologue isn’t concerned with her escape from her destiny (a Hollywood type story, perhaps), but rather her coming to terms with her past experiences.
This itself is rather admirable of Ishiguro, bringing a new outlook on the dystopia genre; yet ultimately, there is nothing exceptional about Kathy’s detailing of the past. Much of it is Grange Hill scenarios with an ominous dark cloud approaching; rather humdrum and ultimately unfulfilling. Never Let Me Go, then, is a story with a ghastly under-plot, yet one of never ending friendship. A book for all Ishiguro fans; but for those yet to receive the author into their bosoms, a trip to Waterstones for The Remains of the Day remains the first port of call.
