Klara and the Sun: A GMA Book Club Pick: A novel

by Kazuo Ishiguro

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is “an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures ... a poignant meditation on love and loneliness” (The Associated Press). • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick!

“What stays with you in ‘Klara and the Sun’ is the haunting narrative voice—a genuinely innocent, egoless perspective on the strange behavior of humans obsessed and wounded by power, status and fear.” —Booker Prize committee

Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

• ISBN10: 059331817X
• ISBN13: 9780593318171
• Publish Date: 2 March 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Alfred A. Knopf
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593318171

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I can't believe I nearly missed this novel! This one might have passed me right on if not for my book club. If you love science fiction with a speculative edge, you've got to read Klara and the Sun, written by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Klara is what you might call an Artificial Friend or AF for short. She may be a generation out of date, but she has several unique talents, namely observational skills. Her skills and happy smile create a path into her new home.

She will now be the friend to a young girl that is very ill. While the adults in this child's life begin to give up hope, Klara is convinced that another solution exists. Something that they would never have considered.

“So I know just how much it matters to you that people who love one another are brought together, even after many years.”

Wow. I can't believe I was blown away by Klara and the Sun. I went into this book knowing next to nothing (seriously, I didn't even read the description – I love surprises), and what I got was such an emotional experience.

Klara and the Sun is described as a dystopian novel, which is very accurate in many ways. Kazuo Ishiguro's novel is full of commentary on human nature, capitalism, and what we do to our planet. Yet there's also this spark of hope. This spark moved the novel closer to solarpunk for me, as it felt like there was still hope for humanity. Hope is seen through Klara's eyes.

In truth, this is the sort of story I was hoping to get from Detroit: Become Human. Perhaps that I why, I found myself enjoying it so much. It was evocative, emotional, and borderline horrifying at times. And yet I wouldn't have had it any other way.

There is something so calm and fluid about Ishiguro's writing style. I haven't read any of these other works, but I've been told that this is a common thread. That being said, I can easily see this writing style being something you either love or hate. Personally, I found it to be a breath of fresh air.

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