“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go was a book we here at What We Reading had been looking forward to picking up and reading for a while now. We’ve featured it on a number of our recommendations, and felt now was a good time to finally carve out some time and give it the focus and appreciation that it deserves. But, with such an esteemed reputation in the literary world, did Ishiguro’s blend of dystopia, sci-fi, romance and nostalgia live up to the hype? Join us for our Never Let Me Go book review to find out!
Date Published: 2005
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction
Pages: 288
Goodreads Rating: 3.85/5
Premise
Hailsham appears to be a pleasant English boarding school. The students there are well-tended, cared for and have everything they need. They are trained in art and literature and become just the sort of people the world wants them to be. Yet, curiously, they are taught nothing of the world outside Hailsham and are afforded very little contact with it.
Within Hailsham, Kathy grows from a schoolgirl to a young woman. However, it is only when she and her friends, Ruth and Tommy, leave the school grounds that they begin to realise the full horrifying purpose Hailsham serves, and what their purpose in the world really is.
What Worked
Off the bat, Never Let Me Go is a book brimming with themes and messages that are all poignant and thought-provoking. From identity, expectations, loss, friendship and connection, there’s a tragic sense of inevitability about all of them that is conveyed throughout. Yet, this ultimately tragic and horrifying ending only serves to make the touching moments of nostalgia that Kathy continues to hold onto that much more powerful to experience.
Things are never explicitly revealed to the readers and the choice to present the world through the lens of the Hailsham students and their interpretations was a genius decision by Ishiguro. By demonstrating how the students make sense of the world naturally makes us empathise with them, and hardens the dynamics they have with one another.
Ishiguro’s writing style is absolutely mesmerising to read. His decisions about when to introduce things, the subtly in which profound concepts are introduced and the way in which he balances the feeling of mystery, dystopia and a complicated love triangle all point to an accomplished author fully on top of his craft.
What Didn’t
We try to skip over any spoilers as much as possible here at What We Reading, which can make certain points of criticism hard to fully explain. With that being said, if you’re the sort of reader looking for a hard piece of dystopian fiction, this isn’t necessarily the book for you. Never Let Me Go is much more about the characters attempting to understand and exist in a society, rather than the society itself specifically.
As with most other pieces of intellectual literature, things can appear to be ‘plodding’ along, especially if you’re the sort of reader who is accustomed to a faster pace. There are a lot of descriptions, not a lot of ‘action’ sequences per se, and sometimes it can be frustrating being pulled into another what-appears-to-be insignificant memory rather than having more of the mystery explained.
We’re not saying those criticisms apply to us, but, in the interest of fairness, we can imagine them being some of the most common complaints readers might have.
Other than that, the conversational way of writing Ishiguro employs may put some people off. The friendship between Ruth and Kathy can be frustrating, and there’s a classic exposition scene near the end where everything is revealed in a back-and-forth dialogue exchange.
Verdict
We’re not exactly fresh to the party in our assessment that Never Let Me Go is a magical read that wonderfully captures the themes it is setting out to explore. A coming-of-age story, it is an examination of the nostalgia that comes from growing up and looking back, a beautiful portrait of friendship and identity and a profound examination of the inevitability of loss and death.
There are countless other themes in Never Let Me Go that we could also sink entire articles on. The conflict between society and individual expectations, the ethics involved with innovation and the idea of fate are all equally explored by Ishiguro, and all of them shine through on the back of his writing.
Whether it be the book or the on-screen adaptation, Never Let Me Go is one of those books that are perfect for book clubs because there is so much discussion to be had after reading each chapter. So many emotions and feelings are conjured up throughout, and it is one of those timeless pieces of literature that is sure to stay with you long after you’ve finished the final page.
Our Rating: 5/5
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
