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A review by emilyrowanstudio
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I was so sure I was going to love this but I don't think i've ever been so underwhelmed by a book. I've given it a high rating compared with how much I enjoyed it for the concept and the very unique way Ishiguro tells stories, and I respect what he was trying to do here, but the execution was not for me.
Our protagonist, Kathy, though her and her peers are born (made?) for a singular ethically-questionable purpose, reads as very detached, unemotional, and resigned to her fate. I understand what Ishiguro was trying to do here - that if you were raised knowing your life's purpose then you wouldn't know anything else - and I can see lots of other reviewers saying this is why they love the book so much, but I felt it was an unfortunate and, i'm afraid, dull way to tell what could have been an incredible story. However, other than the final few tear-jerking pages, I found Kathy lacking in emotion throughout. Even the way she describes sex with the man she loves is clinical (I can't find the exact quote, but I definitely remember her referring to his junk as "his stuff" during a sex scene).
Never Let Me Go only got going for me in the final 80 pages. For a book that's 282 pages long, that is too much to trudge through before getting to the good stuff. I would have given up by this point had I not already seen the film and knew the ending was good (I don't think my having seen the film prior impeded my enjoyment in any way, other than expecting the book to be more emotional than it was).
The characters didn't feel at all fleshed out, and Kathy was too much of an analytical and meandering narrator for me to enjoy. The only other Ishiguro i've read is Klara and the Sun. In a sense, these have similar subject matters, as in the main characters are born/created to in service of others. They are written sixteen years apart and although NLMG seems to be regarded unanimously as his best work, K&TS reads as being written by a much more experienced writer. K&TS also had an intentionally clinical main character, but the story certainly did not lack emotion (the characters are far more realised as well).
All in all, maybe I just didn't "get" this but personally, I don't believe it's worth the hype.
Our protagonist, Kathy, though her and her peers are born (made?) for a singular ethically-questionable purpose, reads as very detached, unemotional, and resigned to her fate. I understand what Ishiguro was trying to do here - that if you were raised knowing your life's purpose then you wouldn't know anything else - and I can see lots of other reviewers saying this is why they love the book so much, but I felt it was an unfortunate and, i'm afraid, dull way to tell what could have been an incredible story. However, other than the final few tear-jerking pages, I found Kathy lacking in emotion throughout. Even the way she describes sex with the man she loves is clinical (I can't find the exact quote, but I definitely remember her referring to his junk as "his stuff" during a sex scene).
Never Let Me Go only got going for me in the final 80 pages. For a book that's 282 pages long, that is too much to trudge through before getting to the good stuff. I would have given up by this point had I not already seen the film and knew the ending was good (I don't think my having seen the film prior impeded my enjoyment in any way, other than expecting the book to be more emotional than it was).
The characters didn't feel at all fleshed out, and Kathy was too much of an analytical and meandering narrator for me to enjoy. The only other Ishiguro i've read is Klara and the Sun. In a sense, these have similar subject matters, as in the main characters are born/created to in service of others. They are written sixteen years apart and although NLMG seems to be regarded unanimously as his best work, K&TS reads as being written by a much more experienced writer. K&TS also had an intentionally clinical main character, but the story certainly did not lack emotion (the characters are far more realised as well).
All in all, maybe I just didn't "get" this but personally, I don't believe it's worth the hype.