Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

From the acclaimed author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, a moving new novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love.

As a child, Kathy–now thirty-one years old–lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory.

And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed–even comforted–by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood–and about their lives now.

A tale of deceptive simplicity, Never Let Me Go slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance–and takes its place among Kazuo Ishiguro’s finest work.

• ISBN10: 1400043395
• ISBN13: 9781400043392
• Publish Date: 5 April 2005 (first published 1 January 2005)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House USA Inc
• Format: Hardcover (Deckle Edge)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781400043392

Reviews

[Bianca]

We were right for each other once. Whether we always will be, that’s anyone’s guess.

[wcs53]

'Never Let Me Go' is a book that requires a lot of patience to read. I tried to read it earlier in the year, but had to put it down after about 30 pages as I just felt I wasn't getting it at all. However, I decided to check it out from the library again and give it a second chance, because it is part of one of my reading challenges for 2012. I'm glad that I did, even though at about the same point into the book I was almost wondering why!

I went into the book blind, which I think was a good thing. As you read the book you realise that there is something in the background that is of utmost importance to the identity of the main characters and what their purpose in life is. As the story slowly unwinds there are hints and small revelations as to what this mystery is. It's only about halfway through that the shocking truth becomes more obvious. This is why I said that the book requires patience. I think this also helps you to start asking questions about what the implications would be for a society that carries out what this 'thing' is that is not obvious at the start of the book.

I'm not going to give away what this 'thing' is, because I think that it is better to go into the book blind, because it is so well written and crafted that this lack of knowledge really heightens the reading experience and enjoyment.

The further I got into the book, especially beyond my first stopping point, the more I knew that I wanted to finish it. It is a sad, almost melancholic, book. At some point I would like to read it again and think more deeply about some of the questions raised by the kind of society depicted in the book.

I've read of this book being described as a science fiction book. This is not really the case, although the main characters have a science fiction element to who, or what, they are. The book doesn't focus on this aspect of their lives. It is there, but is not the main focus of the story, even though it is important to their identity.

This book is well worth reading, but be patient and understand that it is the slow unwinding of the story that makes it a very enjoyable read.

[clementine]

The style of this book was really interesting to me. It was quite plain, without many metaphors or other poetic language, but I thought the tone was very effective. I know a lot of people are put off by the conversational style, but I thought it added a lot to the story. In one way, it made me feel closer to the characters, as if Kathy were talking to me and I knew her, Ruth, and Tommy. In another way, it distanced me from the actual events. Kathy has such a casual tone when talking about things that are pretty horrifying upon examination, and this tone almost makes her life seem normal and okay. The narrative style is also a bit jumpy, with Kathy often giving the overview of an event, then going back to explain something leading up to it, and then explaining the first event in more detail. This can be a bit jarring, but in my opinion it just added to the casual, stream of consciousness sort of tone. It's certainly not a completely conventional style, but I thought it was perfect for the book. In fact, I think the distinct narrative style and tone really held the book up, so I can see how the entire book could be ruined if the style bothered you.

This is an incredibly interesting book, in a good way. I guess it's categorized as science fiction, but it felt so real and had such human themes at the heart of it. I suppose that's the point: to show that the clones aren't any different from anyone else. It's not as if the theme of humanity is thrown in your face; nobody really talks about it except for Miss Emily at the end, and even then it's mentioned briefly. But that is definitely an underlying theme in the novel.

I think what I loved most about this book is how realistic it was, despite being science fiction. The day-to-day life of the students, while shrouded in some sort of mystery, was fairly average. Their friendships, love lives, etc, were very believable, and the world itself wasn't any different from the one we know. And the conclusion itself was also realistic. It doesn't get the happy ending that readers might want. As far as we know, the cycle of donating continues infinitely.

I can't put my finger on it, but I didn't have that immediate "WOW" reaction after I finished. It's not that there was anything wrong with it, and I'm sure it will stick with me for quite some time, but I'm hesitant to give it five stars. I think part of it is that I wished the donations could have been explained more, or for there to be more about the outside world. I suppose with Kathy's limited knowledge/experience it would have been impossible (and maybe it's more powerful to have her constantly in the dark about many things?), but I would have really liked to have some more answers. Again, part of the power in the book lies in not having answers, though.

Either way, this is a really fantastic book, written very well, with a highly intriguing premise.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

I was expecting a dystopian novel and while this was essentially dystopian, this book was such a light read; possibly too causally written for my life. I had a sense that the author was causally throwing facts in as if it was common knowledge and expected the reader to already know what was happening. While it is possibly a good way to reveal this world, i have a sense that he wasn’t revealing anything and leaving the reader with too many questions. This sort of narrative is the biggest flaw for me in this book. There really isn’t anything that keeps the book from moving apart from a need to know what is actually happening and when you find out whats happening it really isn’t fulfilling and you are left with wanting to know more.

[mary]

Loved this book. Beautiful story, beautiful writing, beautiful execution of a book. While this novel would probably have taken me a day or less to read on a weekend, I took it with me for company on my train commutes, to brighten my day. Reading it was like drinking a cup of tea or coffee that you want to enjoy for as long as possible. I would recommend this to everyone who loves a gorgeous read.

[jamiereadthis]

I didn’t cry! I can’t believe I didn’t cry! No: it was sad, and contemplative, and restrained, and Ishiguro disappears once again so completely into the voice of a character that, if not for his name on the jacket, I could never recognize him from book to book.

Wait, that’s not quite true: he has the distinctive trait of writing in circles around the story, of speaking in language so plain and unextraordinary that the whole truths are left to lurk off to the side, between the lines. “The stories we tell ourselves,” so true.