A Journal Entry Regarding Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go…
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Ishiguro’s work haunts me.
Most novels I can read and quickly process.
His work is different
He is methodical.
He rations information.
He presents that which is unsettling, in a calm, matter of fact manner, which results in a feeling of ever-increasing unease.
But he respects his characters.
And that respect is shown through Ishiguro’s disciplined style.
No flash.
Just measured and pure storytelling.
Never Let Me Go is a story of three friends: Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. Kathy acts as the book’s narrator. They attend a boarding school in the English countryside called Hailsham. Typical aspects of boarding school life are present (teenage crushes, schoolyard gossip, tight-knit cliques).
However, there are elements of Hailsham that set it apart. Teachers are referred to as guardians. Parents are never mentioned. And it is often reinforced to the students that they are “special”…somehow different from the “people on the outside.”
Hailsham also places a heavy emphasis on their students’ pursuit of artistic expression. Initially, one would gather that this is purely to create well-rounded students. But later, it is revealed that a woman referred to as Madame, who visits the school periodically, chooses some of the students’ artistic work (the best work) for a gallery she is associated with. Madame’s true agenda is one small part of a greater mystery.
Never Let Me Go is divided into three parts.
Part One is the Hailsham years. As children, Kathy and Ruth develop a strong yet complicated friendship. They are each other’s confidante. But they also have moments of tension, usually instigated by Ruth’s need for attention and her lack of honesty.
Tommy is a sweet-natured but emotionally volatile kid. Kathy sees the good in him and recognizes his vulnerabilities. They become close friends. And that closeness survives in spite of the eventual romantic relationship that develops between Ruth and Tommy.
Part Two of the novel delves into the years following their departure from Hailsham. The three friends are still together, but now they reside in a place called The Cottages. Here they interact with former students from Hailsham and other boarding schools designed for “special” students.
This section of the novel reads a bit like young adult fiction mixed with elements of dark academia. There’s lots of reading and discussion of important novels. There’s of course sex and relationship drama. But this is also a time of deep existential questioning as Kathy, Ruth and Tommy prepare for the next phase of life.
Part Three takes place years later. Kathy is working as a “carer.” And after a long separation, Ruth and Tommy are back in her life, in ways she would not have anticipated. Ruth and Tommy are now in the “donor” phase of their existence. And Kathy has assumed the role of their diligent supporter and holder of prized memories.
This reunion is important because it affords Kathy the opportunity to resolve old issues and to experience what it truly means to be human. To love. To forgive. And to hope.
Never Let Me Go could be described as a love story. Or maybe a bizarre coming of age tale. I would describe it as a dystopian mystery.
The exact time in which it takes place is hard to pin down. Clues would lead you to believe it’s a pre-tech era. No computers or smartphones seem to exist.
But it’s not a distant past either.
There’s even mention of specific scientific breakthroughs, which would lead one to think the characters are in an alternate future timeline.
You’ll have to excuse the cryptic nature of my descriptions of this novel. So much of the story centers around an incredible mystery that is slowly unveiled.
As I stated before Ishiguro is very methodical. With precision, he delivers information.
And when I realized who these characters were and their unique circumstance, it was a completely jarring moment.
There’s so much humanity and love in this novel. And at the same time it’s one of the saddest and most disturbing books I’ve ever read.
Haunting.
Here’s a link to my book review of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara And The Sun:
~G
A thorough, insightful, review