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A review by fiphillips
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
4.0
Beautiful, hopeful, but ultimately sad.
As you’d imagine from the title, Klara, an AI humanoid robot, is the narrator and star of the novel. Watching her learn and reach her own conclusions was my biggest delight in reading this story. Ever hopeful, she wants only the best for teenager Josie whom she acts as a companion for.
The opening of the novel, when Klara is still waiting in the shop for an owner, fascinated me and Klara’s enquiring mind made me smile.
Once she goes home with Josie and her mum, however, the tone of the novel changes and family life provides the biggest slice of the novel. We find out more about the culture, where children face genetic enhancement to be ‘lifted’ and serve as valued members of society. By contrast, Josie’s friend and neighbour, Rick, who isn’t lifted, has to build a future without the privileges of enhancement.
As Josie’s health deteriorates, Klara decides on a plan to save the teenager and seeks the help of Rick. The two form a firm friendship; at first, this is based on their joint wish to help Josie but the friendship develops beyond this to a deeper understanding of each other.
The last quarter of the novel takes a very different turn and while I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, I have to say that this was my least favourite part of what had been a wonderful read up to that point. Attitudes towards women, the inherent unfairness of the novel’s society, and the devaluation of AFs like Klara really soured the ending of the novel for me. It felt more like an examination of what it is to be human than the wrapping up chapters of a story.
My heart went out to Klara in the end. It felt as if she had served her purpose, both for the family and the novel, and had then simply been thrown away.
As you’d imagine from the title, Klara, an AI humanoid robot, is the narrator and star of the novel. Watching her learn and reach her own conclusions was my biggest delight in reading this story. Ever hopeful, she wants only the best for teenager Josie whom she acts as a companion for.
The opening of the novel, when Klara is still waiting in the shop for an owner, fascinated me and Klara’s enquiring mind made me smile.
Once she goes home with Josie and her mum, however, the tone of the novel changes and family life provides the biggest slice of the novel. We find out more about the culture, where children face genetic enhancement to be ‘lifted’ and serve as valued members of society. By contrast, Josie’s friend and neighbour, Rick, who isn’t lifted, has to build a future without the privileges of enhancement.
As Josie’s health deteriorates, Klara decides on a plan to save the teenager and seeks the help of Rick. The two form a firm friendship; at first, this is based on their joint wish to help Josie but the friendship develops beyond this to a deeper understanding of each other.
The last quarter of the novel takes a very different turn and while I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, I have to say that this was my least favourite part of what had been a wonderful read up to that point. Attitudes towards women, the inherent unfairness of the novel’s society, and the devaluation of AFs like Klara really soured the ending of the novel for me. It felt more like an examination of what it is to be human than the wrapping up chapters of a story.
My heart went out to Klara in the end. It felt as if she had served her purpose, both for the family and the novel, and had then simply been thrown away.