Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

[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.