Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro

First published in Great Britain in 2005.

Before I start, let me say that this was a very difficult review to write without giving away any spoilers, so apologies for the lack of plot detail.

Never Let Me Go is a book that I don't read often, but really enjoy when I do.  It's not the easiest read and is another 'makes you think' story.  I went to see the film with my mum and bought the book the next day.  I knew that although I liked the film, it was one of those that the book improves on a lot (like every film adaptation, I know, but this film in particular had a lot of 'staring-into-the-distance' that I knew would come across better in my mind while reading).

So then, the plot.  Kathy, Ruth and Tommy are three friends who grew up together at a boarding school in the English countryside called Hailsham.  Their childhood seems very idyllic but there is a huge secret that their school is hiding.  A secret that will change everything they think they know.  As they grow up they learn their fate and must come to terms with it

The story is set in an alternate England in the 1990s.  It is a sort of dystopian past which is so well put together that it seems real, even reading it today.  Part of this is in the small details which generally are the same as our reality - there are recognisable cars, jobs, streets, houses - and yet over all of these is an uncomfortable difference.

Kathy is the main character and we meet her as a 31 year old carer.  The story is told from her point of view as she recounts her school days, from the teacher who mysteriously left after a dramatic lesson, to the art classes that were so important.  The book is very well written, with the reader never totally sure what is going on until it is made explicit.  By only getting Kathy's point of view we are put in the classrooms with her, and make the discoveries as she does.  Kathy is a strong character who thinks a lot about her own humanity and that of the people around her, and often seems older than she is.

Kathy has a lot of love for her friends.  Ruth is carefree and accepting of her life.  Tommy, on the other hand, wants answers and struggles with his feelings a lot.  The three are tied together in a love triangle for most of the book but is not an annoying one.

Overall I would recommend this book if you like thought-provoking stories with a twist.  This is not a book you will only read once.  At times it can be a bit slow-going and there is a lot of description, which seems unnecessary, but stick with it and let's have a discussion.