Never Let Me Go

Next up in my 2023 reads is Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Apparently, there is also a 2010 movie starring Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield (which I've never seen).

Goodreads Stats

Why I Read This Book/How I Heard About It

This was another "Unofficial John Green Recommendation" and another completely blind read. Even though this was my first reading of any of this author's books, he is highly regarded (author of The Remains of the Day) and I've since learned that this is his most popular book.

Basic Summary

The book is told from Katherine's point of view. She's a "carer" in England, which is the fancy English word for an in-home recovery nurse, I guess. From the very beginning, Kathy reflects on her childhood spent at a prestigious boarding school called Hailsham, where children are encouraged to create and make beautiful artwork. Hailsham is its own little cozy world with rigid rules for behavior and it's quickly evident to the reader that the children have very little knowledge about the world outside the school's walls.

Kathy's story is how she grew from a small girl to a young woman at Hailsham, and how she continued on into the world as a woman. And, along the way, she introduces us to two of her closest friends, Ruth and Tommy. As you can imagine, the three friends have all sorts of good and bad and complex memories with one another. Classic friendship (and later love) triangle.

According to the book cover summary, "Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past."

The book examines questions of love, morality, the bounds of science, and death.

First Impressions

The author does a great job of pulling you into the Hailsham world from page one. Not far in, I was already feeling that something wasn't normal about this boarding school. But I just couldn't put my finger on what was off about it.

Kathy tells her story and describes her memories with such beautiful, but subtle prose, detailed enough that you feel like you are actually there with her and the other children, but also vague enough that you can't pin down important anchoring details like: where is the school in England? How did these children get chosen to attend this school? What's so special about it anyway? What's the big deal about art? Why can't the children know about the outside world? What is so special about these damn children? Tell me, dang it! But you don't get the answers. Not for awhile.

The school sounds idyllic, but there are also scenes that take on a creepy air and the weirdest part is...I found myself not really understanding what it was that made the scene creepy...I just knew it was. You know? This is why it's such an intriguing story. It leaves you hanging so you keep coming back for more. But, yes, the answers to all the questions are eventually revealed. And, for me, the details were more surprising and disturbing than I could have imagined.

Rating on Goodreads

I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was an interesting twist, but the story felt a little slow. Still....I didn't stop reading! And that's saying something.

My rating method:

• I rarely rate books 5 stars. I save this for the absolute best books I've read. You know the ones...the ones that you can't get out of your head, even after you've finished them. The ones you think about for weeks afterwards.

• If a book is really, really good, I'll give it 4 stars. If you see a 4-star rating from me, I'd definitely recommend it to you to read.

• If it's just OK, it gets 3 stars. Basically, it means I could take it or leave it. I'd probably read it again because it wasn't terrible. But not like a favorite or anything.

• If I rate it 1 or 2 stars, I would not recommend anyone read it. It either didn't hold my interest or I couldn't relate to the characters/plot.