Review by deedireads - Klara and the Sun

deedireads 's review for:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

4.25

hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Klara and the Sun is a moving and super-readable novel that asks a lot of questions in engaging, unique ways. It was my first Ishiguro but won’t be my last!

For you if: You like literary sci-fi (or maybe don’t even consider yourself a sci-fi reader).

FULL REVIEW:

“Rooms within rooms within rooms. Isn’t that how it might be, trying to learn Josie’s heart? No matter how long you wandered through those rooms, wouldn’t there always be others you’d not yet entered?”

I feel like I’m one of the last people to read Klara and the Sun, and even more so one of the last people just reading Kazuo Ishiguro for the first time. But it made for a GREAT book club discussion, and I really liked it.

Klara is an AF, or artificial friend — essentially, a sentient robot whose sole purpose is to be a steadfast, loyal companion to a child. The whole book is told through Klara’s eyes, and we watch her learn more about the world, get purchased (adopted?), and become entwined in her new family’s lives. But Josie, the 14-year-old girl she’s paired with, is sick, and so Klara sets out to try something to save her that the humans haven’t thought of yet, all while the humans have plans of their own involving Klara.

Ishiguro is one of the greats for a reason, so it almost goes without saying that this book is just so incredibly written. Klara’s voice, as our narrator, is singular, but other characters’ voices are also so strong in dialogue that you can’t help but admire his skill.

Technically, I’d say, this novel is a very literary sci-fi — but if you’re not a sci-fi reader, don’t let that stop you. In fact, my book club had a lively discussion about what genre this best fits into. But you’ll find it among other literary fiction at the bookstore, so let that speak for itself. That said, if you’re more of a sci-fi reader, don’t go into this expecting a hero’s journey — this book asks more questions than it answers. In fact, you can tell that’s fully the point. This can either be frustrating or engaging, depending on what you like. I liked it a lot myself.

I’ll definitely be reading more of Ishiguro!

Content Warnings