The novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is written from
a first person point of view of the main character, Kathy. With an almost
detached and neutral tone, Kathy recounts her memories at the boarding school,
Hailsham, and her life as a carer later on.
The story is split into three parts and from hints and
details provided by Kath, the readers realize that Hailsham is not an ordinary
school and its students are different too. Much later in the story it is
revealed that the students, including Kathy, are human clones that are raised
to become organ donors. These clones are secluded from the outside world and
spend their entire childhood at Hailsham, where they are trained to become
donors one day.
The novel is constructed in a way that shows Ishiguro’s thoughts
on the idea of imperialism. Like Kathy and her friends, most people live
a life that is dictated by a small group of people in power. Through the story
of these clones, Ishiguro criticizes those arrogant authorities present in the society
today.
In the novel, each Hailsham student is created as lonely
individuals controlled by the society. Their emotions are suppressed and their
ability to dream has been taken away from them. In the last section, we see
Kathy and Tommy, also a student from Hailsham, regain the courage to love and
request for a deferral. Although it was too late to change anything, their
action showed Ishiguro’s belief that love is powerful enough to overcome
the darkness of humanity.
This seems like an amazing book, however, I do not agree with the theme that love conquers all. I think that it is over done,cliche, and unrealistic. Love is just an intense emotion, and like any emotion it can be oppressed by simply deciding to no longer love something. I hope that there was a deeper message. Other wise there is no way a book like this would keep my attention.
ReplyDelete~Onyx L.
I am really interested in this novel especially after reading this book review. Also the fact that the novel is written by a foreign author has my hopes up because recently I've been reading some excellent novels written by foreign authors. The actions of the characters you describe are emotionally touching and I look forward to reading this novel.
ReplyDeleteKenny J.
This book sounds extremely interesting just by the review. From what you have written, I would think you would start to develop emotions for the characters and the struggles they endure after finding out what their purpose in life is really for.
ReplyDelete-Secada C.
This book certainly has caught my attention. The issue of reproducing humans just for donating organs is very interesting. It reminds me of the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. The fact that society has come to the point where we must even consider these possibilities shows how technologically advanced we really are.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Kim
This is an excellent plot. Nothing like the adventure and love story people write now. It's a new idea and i can't wait to read it. I feel like this plot is really clever in many ways, but Ishiguro's belief that society is arrogant and love is superficial is eye-catching.
ReplyDeleteAlex Han