A review by asourceoffiction
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this book. It follows a dystopian vein that we know Ishiguro can navigate brilliantly (if you haven't read Never Let Me Go, it's an absolute must). But there's a simplicity and beauty to this that reflects Klara's sole objective; to be a loving companion to a lonely child.

Klara is incredibly observant of her surroundings, making her a really interesting narrator to follow. But she's not necessarily reliable, as her limited real world experience means she cannot infer much from what she sees. As a result we piece together the plot along with the concept of the world as a whole, but we can take our understanding further than Klara and in turn feel a great empathy for her and the way she tries desperately to do the right thing by Sophie at all times.

There are so many intricacies of this dystopian world that have been carefully crafted and thought out, but we get to learn almost nothing of them because they are not part of Klara's observed world. This is fully Klara's story, and it is clear that any other depth (however intriguing or confusing we find it) is not relevant to her narrative. But I was so left wishing I could know more about the history and the ways of the world, and what happened to so many of the characters outside the confines of this story.

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