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medium-paced
A very interesting book that I definitely have to reread at some point to get the full picture of the story being told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Klara. She's so cute and very child-like. There's a little section on page 106 where she just talks about how sheep look cute so they must be nice and kind as opposed to the bull she saw earlier which scared her and so must be evil. You get to watch her grow and learn and become more and more of a person as the book goes on, with her own wants and desires separate from her duty/intended purpose. She shows nostalgia and her own moments that bring her joy, in direct comparison with the human children, and it's so nice!
This is, of course, directly overshadowed by the fact that so much of the book is a discussion of fascism and what it is like to live in a post-human society. There is no real position for humans to have in this society, and everyone is handling it differently. These people are living in the throws of trans-humanism and are not handling it well. (I would recommend Philosophy Tube's episodes on Trans-Humanism and Social Constructs to learn more about the philosophical concepts that are at play behind a lot of the plot and ideology here.)
This is, of course, directly overshadowed by the fact that so much of the book is a discussion of fascism and what it is like to live in a post-human society. There is no real position for humans to have in this society, and everyone is handling it differently. These people are living in the throws of trans-humanism and are not handling it well. (I would recommend Philosophy Tube's episodes on Trans-Humanism and Social Constructs to learn more about the philosophical concepts that are at play behind a lot of the plot and ideology here.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Self harm, Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, Slavery, Xenophobia, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Medical content, Trafficking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very odd book, owing mostly to its very odd but lovable narrator. We still don't have all that many stories about an AI from their perspective, and those that we do tend to show the AI as very human (see: the delightful Murderbot). Klara's perspective is downright bizarre in a way that's continually surprising and interesting to read. I've never seen an author so successfully convey what it would look like if you essentially created a fully-fledged, mature human, had her live her entire life in a quiet retail store and then sent her out to experience the world with only that limited perspective to rely on.
The central plot, or what there is of it, remains tense and absorbing as you're drawn into hoping that things will work out for these characters, against all odds and in spite of their blatant flaws.
The central plot, or what there is of it, remains tense and absorbing as you're drawn into hoping that things will work out for these characters, against all odds and in spite of their blatant flaws.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia
The characters are nuanced, but it's certain that they are all generally unkind to Klara at one point or another in the book. I wouldn't personally say that these relationships are solely toxic, and Klara isn't upset by it, but there's definitely significant dehumanization at times (if you count Klara as a human) and a background understanding and suggestion that AFs, including one we care about, have been and continue to be abused.
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a slow-burn dystopia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death, Slavery
Minor: Xenophobia
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Toxic friendship
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'd call this maybe more of an 'experience' than a typical read (at least for me), and was toying with rating it lower until that ending just absolutely broke my heart.
It's slower paced than what I typically read, more about putting you in the situation of a future with realistic AI "artifical friends" and encouraging you to reflect on all the different implications of that, than developing plot or characters.
But I have come out of it feeling better for having had read it, and I believe it will be something I continue to dwell on for a while.
It's slower paced than what I typically read, more about putting you in the situation of a future with realistic AI "artifical friends" and encouraging you to reflect on all the different implications of that, than developing plot or characters.
But I have come out of it feeling better for having had read it, and I believe it will be something I continue to dwell on for a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Xenophobia
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Dementia
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For years I associated an Ishiguro book with a module I hated at university, but now I wish I hadn’t waited so long to finally pick up another one.
The way that Ishiguro writes from the perspective of a such a naive but hopeful character is so interesting, because as I got through the story I slowly started to pick up on the more sinister aspects of the book’s society. This jarring contrast between the way Klara observes and even other characters’ innocuous comments, and your own realisation of what is actually going on, made it such an engaging read.
The only issue I had was that it felt like some of the science fiction elements that were more glossed over or unexplained, in a way that felt different to the rest of the books tendency to let readers discover more of the context of the books society.
The way that Ishiguro writes from the perspective of a such a naive but hopeful character is so interesting, because as I got through the story I slowly started to pick up on the more sinister aspects of the book’s society. This jarring contrast between the way Klara observes and even other characters’ innocuous comments, and your own realisation of what is actually going on, made it such an engaging read.
The only issue I had was that it felt like some of the science fiction elements that were more glossed over or unexplained, in a way that felt different to the rest of the books tendency to let readers discover more of the context of the books society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Xenophobia
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness
Minor: Bullying, Xenophobia, Classism
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia