Live from New York

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 09/28/2009

Some parts sci-fi and some parts fictional memoir, this book really rocked me.

It starts out from the perspective of Kathy, who is a “carer,” reminiscing about her time at Hailsham, a private school. There are the usual bullies and Queen Bees, cool kids and losers. Kathy shows sympathy to Tommy, a boy who is constantly being ostracized by the other boys because of his lack of artistic talent. Among the usual private school travails and travesties, Kathy’s descriptions of Hailsham quickly alert the reader to the unusual nature of the school. First is the odd emphasis that the “guardians” place on artistic talent. Then there’s the absence of parents. Once a month, Madame comes on to school grounds and takes the students’ best artwork for a place in the “gallery.” No one really knows where or what the gallery is. Ruth, Kathy’s bossy best friend, speculates and is proven correct that Madame is afraid of the children who live in Hailsham. We learn that the children at Hailsham can never have children of their own.

Pretty soon, I was hooked into this carefully unraveling tale. It’s told languidly and in pieces, like how you would expect a memory to be. Never a fan of deferred gratification, I went on Wikipedia and gladly spoiled myself before reading on. Otherwise, I would’ve read through the night.

In other news, Keira Knightley is going to be in the newest movie adaptation of the book. Unwittingly, I’m a fan and I’m pretty stoked at this turn of events.