I devoured this book in a way that reminded me of what reading was like when I was young. Never Let Me Go is, in fact, a book for young adults, but Ishiguro proves that leading the reader through a meandering story filled with nuance allowing for interpretation is deeply satisfying in a way that puts popular youth literature to shame.

Kazuo Ishiguro's brilliance in Never Let Me Go is in his slow reveal of the most crucial plot points. He captures the mind of Kath, the main protagonist, in an way that brought this dystopian world to life and conjured memories of my own childhood that haven't risen to the surface in many years. His writing is simple, yet eloquent. The story is quietly suspenseful, and utterly captivating.

I was excited to read this book, having read all the reviews and the note on the cover that it was a Man Booker finalist. This book was interesting until you started to get an idea about what Halisham School was about. At this point you're waiting for something to happen, but it never does. Just endless situations these Halisham students, Ruth, Tommy and Kath find themselves in that, to me, did not advance the story or create suspense. I got bored with the droning narrative. By the time I reached the climatic meeting between the Kath, Tommy and Madame, it was like FINALLY. This was an anticlimax, because nothing new was revealed that you didn't already suspect. The most interesting chapters were the end. It was quite touching to have Tommy and Ruth's fate revealed. The best part of the book was that it made you think about the moral consequences of eugenics. People have souls and should not be used as "parts" to advance science, even if it can saves lives, because ultimatley there is always a death of a human, whether donor or patient. For this message, I'm grateful to the author.

The Story Line


Kathy ("Kath") is a "carer." What, you ask, may that be? A carer is one who takes care of organ donors while they are recuperating. She is the narrator of this novel and shares with the reader her history at a school called Hailsham, located in England's countryside. At Hailsham, Kath is an observant young girl and very sensitive to the feelings of those around her. Her two closest friends are Tommy and Ruth, who eventually couple-up. Despite this coupling, Kath maintains a level of feelings for Tommy.

Kathy also recounts her time at The Cottages, where a portion of the students from Hailsham went to live upon their graduation from Hailsham. At The Cottages, these "special" students learn more from life experience than from the books they read at Hailsham. This is a time for them to form couples, learn to drive, and make some minor decisions about their future.

My Review

Confused? Yeah, I was too until I was 1/2-way into the book! I've read wonderful reviews of this book where the story-line is carefully avoided and a proper review conducted. The best review I've located on this book is at Books on the Brain and I believe that she liked this book. SPOIL ALERT: I'm not going to dance around the story line in this review. So, if you'd like a review which keeps the storyline well protected for future readers, click on over to Books on the Brain and read Lisa's review. Don't return to mine.

What I am most disappointed about was the lack of what could have been great content to this story. Here's the premise... humans are being "created" in laboratories to serve as organ donors. As they are created in a lab, it is my impression that they are viewed as non-human and "soul-less." After some time had passed, some felt that it was their duty to pull the more "gifted" donors from these labs/farms and raise them in a protected environment in which they could have some semblance of a childhood and young adulthood. All the while, they would be schooled to the fact of what their life purpose was to be... to be an organ donor for the "real humans" (you know, us, the one with souls!). Ugh.

Let's start with what I did like. The premise of the book is a good one. It's highly thought provoking. I mean, what is it exactly that makes us human? When does God breathe a soul into us? What are the characteristics of human nature that reflect that we have souls and aren't just these electrically charged mechanisms with the ability to have critical thinking? Another thought... is the life of one worth less than the life of another? And, then there's the question of what makes a life complete? What needs to happen in your life for it to be complete, for your life to be exhausted?

Stay with me. Here's why I didn't like the book. With such an AMAZING premise, much could have been done with this book. This book could have been written with such depth. But, for me, it was BORING. Perhaps if the reader didn't have to get 1/2 way into the book to understand what the book was about, it may have meant more while reading it. To me, this book was "soul-less." The characters were too shallow for me and their motives confusing. The author tries to incorporate a test by which the "guardians" of these donor children of Hailsham would show they actually had souls. They did this by judging their art and poetry. What? So, if I suck at art, I have no soul? Whatever!

The author gets into details about the donors' sexuality, but never explains why it is that they can't have children. I mean, if they can grow lungs and a spleen, why not an uterus? Are they "fixed" at birth/creation? If so, why? The book never really divulges how these donors derived from their "models," which I found disappointing.

I think that I could go on for days about what I didn't like about this book. For the positives about it... it did have a thought-intriguing story line (once you understood it). The book was well-written. Oh... that's it for me!

On Sher's "Out of Ten Scale":


As you can summarize from the review, this book was NOT my cup of tea. But, one person who reviewed it made a comment on Lisa's review. She stated that this seemed to be the type of book where you either loved it or hated it. I didn't actually "hate" it. But, I definitely did not love it. Let's just say that I would have rather cleaned out the hall closet than read this book. And, I despise my hall closet. Strictly from my PERSONAL viewpoint, I am awarding this book for the genre Fiction: (God Knows What SubGenre), a 5 out of 10.

One of my favorite recent sci-fi books. Ishiguro's book particularly appeals to me because of his subtlety.

This is a subtle, engrossing, dark story with a steadily mounting sense of dread throughout. I didn't know what exactly was going on with the plot when I started reading it, and I'm glad, because it makes the discovery all the more shocking. If you can, don't read a bunch of reviews, because they will give it away and part of the beauty of this novel is the punch in the stomach when you find out what is different about the world in which it takes place. The whole book I was thinking, why didn't anybody rebel? Why didn't anybody fight? Ishiguro may be making a statement about older class structures in England, or simply be making a statement about human nature. Read this book, prepare to stay up late reading it in one sitting, and think hard about what it says. It is brilliant.

Never Let Me Go
Having just re-read 1984 with my 15 year old, I amazingly stumbled upon this chilling yet deeply sentimental novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Without playing spoiler I must tell you that when this story catches up to it's engaging characters you will be stunned. Great story, and rich characters who caused me to reflect on life, and the passage of time.