Never Let Me Go

Incredibly frustrating and eerie book - I kept trying to walk away from it and couldn't quite make it. Set in an alternate England in the 1990's - you spend the first 200 pages trying desperately to understand why these idyllic childhood boarding school memories - as narrated by the main character, Kath, carry a faint air of menace. You continue to feel uneasy - unsettled - knowing that something is missing without quite being able to figure out what it is. Ishiguro keeps you guessing, handing you only bits and pieces of the puzzle until the very end. When he finally confirms, offhanded in a throw-away line, you realize you sort of knew all along. You just hoped - as all the characters hope, fiercely at first and then slowly not at all - that somehow it's going to turn out differently for them. It's difficult to talk about the story without giving away the plot, but I have to say, when I finished the book I was furious - I wanted to kick apart the story and demand that it end differently. I snapped the book shut on the last page wanting to bite someone I was so upset - before I realized that I think that was exactly how Ishiguro wanted his readers to feel. I think the dreamy, understated, passive prose has the opposite effect on a reader - instead of luring you into complacency, it makes you bright with emotions - you rebel against the feeling of being rocked gently towards a horrible end. And in a way that reaction helps to remind you that human beings are capable of better things. It also serves as a reminder that crossing the line between what is right what is wrong may be as simple as cultivating apathy. Beautifully written and captivating - but best read in small doses in a warm sunny place.

A hauntingly tragic dystopian novel......... I had read no spoilers about this book before reading it, and I would recommend the same to anyone who does read this novel. It's a slow developing story, but the writing style draws you immediately into Cathy's life and mind, and it made me really put myself in their places, and feel the topics it was addressing.

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into this novel after reading the first few chapters. It definitely wasn't what I was imagining from the way people were talking about it. However, once the first part started to come to a close, I couldn't put the book down. I ended up staying awake and powering through the other two thirds, finishing it well after dawn. The end is very powerful, but the real beauty of the book doesn't present itself until you look back on the entire thing. Give this one a chance!