#01 - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since watching the film adaptation of it last year. Now that I have, I’m glad that it lived up to my expectations, and I very much enjoyed Ishiguro’s delicate handling of the themes of loss and uncertainty that this tragic tale embodies. The film was good; it was all the poignancy that I would expect out of a mood-heavy story like this one. Reading the book, however, made me realize what the film was lacking in; it was the nostalgia, the wistful manner in which the narrator Kathy contemplated her imminent fate, that the film’s simple narrative structure was unable to capture. And that made the story much more heart-wrenching, and nearly drove me to tears on a few occasions. Kathy grew up in the idyllic Hailsham boarding school, where the students live under the protection of their adult guardians - a seemingly normal arrangement. Yet something definitely feels off right from the start: students are not allowed past the boundaries of the school, the guardians are especially particular about their hygiene and health, and the students are encouraged to create art, the best of which is collected by the mysterious Madame for her Gallery. The author skilfully and subtly unveils his dystopian world bit by bit, through the wearied eyes of the now-adult Kathy as she reminisces over the many events of her childhood.

#01 - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since watching the film adaptation of it last year. Now that I have, I’m glad that it lived up to my expectations, and I very much enjoyed Ishiguro’s delicate handling of the themes of loss and uncertainty that this tragic tale embodies.

The film was good; it was all the poignancy that I would expect out of a mood-heavy story like this one. Reading the book, however, made me realize what the film was lacking in; it was the nostalgia, the wistful manner in which the narrator Kathy contemplated her imminent fate, that the film’s simple narrative structure was unable to capture. And that made the story much more heart-wrenching, and nearly drove me to tears on a few occasions.

Kathy grew up in the idyllic Hailsham boarding school, where the students live under the protection of their adult guardians - a seemingly normal arrangement. Yet something definitely feels off right from the start: students are not allowed past the boundaries of the school, the guardians are especially particular about their hygiene and health, and the students are encouraged to create art, the best of which is collected by the mysterious Madame for her Gallery. The author skilfully and subtly unveils his dystopian world bit by bit, through the wearied eyes of the now-adult Kathy as she reminisces over the many events of her childhood.

Tags: books book challenge 50 book challenge never let me go