Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - Never Let Me Go

This book has an interesting concept and poses a lot of intriguing questions about life and creativity. I only wish I'd latched onto it more.

The story follows Kathy as she reflects on her life and relationships at the Hailsham boarding school. In this ultimate universe, people like Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are lumped in these 'schools' as they were created with one purpose in mind — to be organ donors.

I'd call this light sci-fi, which I do like, I just found the pacing to be too slow (a similar issue I had with The Remains of the Day). There was also a glaring lack of world-building. Without a lot of context, I struggled to connect to the characters and the universe.

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leahgustafson's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I truly believe Kazuo Ishiguro is a complete genius and his works are going to be considered the classics of our time. This is actually a reread for me. I had read this for the first time in college as part of my English major. As someone who isn’t a huge re-reader, I am so glad I took the time to revisit this one. I was definitely able to get much more out of it than I was on the initial read. This has me thinking there are many more books I will be needing to revisit.
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Ishiguro is a master at exploring the concept of memory through unreliable narrators. This story explores what it means to truly be human—focusing on the importance of connection, love, friendship, and memories. It also highlights the importance of art and ones ability to “create.”
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As with all of his books, Ishiguro raises some important question that ask us to reflect further on: the importance of the truth, how we view/ approach mortality (especially our own), the ethics involved in developing new technologies and policies that enhance the human condition, and who is benefiting from these enhancements. Because his books explore such major themes and questions, I think they are best read as book club selections or as buddy reads. I’ve discovered a greater level of depth when discussing them with others.
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Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

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simonstays5's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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baybod's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh. my. god. Heartbreaking and thought provoking. Asks big science fiction questions that, unlike in Mary Shelly’s time with the classic Frankenstein, seem scarily close to being pertinent to our world. I appreciated the gradual revelation of the secrets of the novel, which mirrored the gradual way in which Kath learned them herself. It’s interesting that Kath tells the story as if we already know what much of it means, but also holds back other important details. It was interesting to hear this story from the perspective of Kath as an adult—makes me think I should reread it again to pick up on more of the emotions she’s feeling, especially in the earlier chapters. This was an emotionally harrowing read and I would certainly recommend not only to someone interested in dystopia and science fiction, but also anyone looking for a thought provoking experience that brings in to question what it means to be human.

Want to add something for all the people who were let down by the ending and reaction to the big reveal:

A lot of people are saying the ending is unsatisfying, but I feel like it’s supposed to be. It almost has to be. A society which creates beings that are, for all intents and purposes, human, neglects to recognize this humanity and continues to use them as products cannot produce the ending we want. However, if we’re honest with ourselves, I feel like that is the society we live in. Yes, it’s upsetting for the reveal to lead to nothing substantial—it should be—but that’s kind of the point. Madame and Miss Emily have seemingly proved the humanity of the clones/students, but society refuses to see it for two reasons: 1. they could no longer justifiably use these beings as means to an end / exploit them and 2. they fear granting humanity to beings who could reasonably surpass them in society. With the clear refusal to recognize their humanity, it’s hard to say whether Miss Lucy or Miss Emily is right. Is it better to keep them in the dark, but give them the gift of a somewhat normal childhood to hold onto? Or should they be fully aware all along of their purpose? Neither seems right because neither is right. We can understand where each woman is coming from because both are simply trying to offer some dignity to people who have been robbed of it. All of our questions and all of our dissatisfaction is the point; it’s supposed to scare us and leave us feeling empty. Hopefully, it will make us wary of creating this problem in our own world.

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