This was not my first Ishiguro read. While living in Antwerp, I actually taught Never Let Me Go to my students, and after reading both books, I think I can confirm that Ishiguro’s writing is very accessible and a great choice for book club and/or classroom discussions. The fact that I can see this book reaching a wide readership is what impresses me the most. The narrative style is clear with simple descriptions, still allowing you to see the world clearly without the complicated world-building sometimes found in the science fiction genre. I adored our narrator, the non-human yet so very human Klara. Her kindness and curiosity were endearing, and I was fully invested in her story. And I felt much the same way for our narrator in Never Let Me Go!

With that said, there were a few strange and distracting sub-conflicts that I felt were unnecessary, mainly because they seemed underdeveloped/convenient or random: the tension between Rick’s mother and her ex-lover, for instance. I also found the ending to be a bit lack-luster, not necessarily for Klara because that did feel natural and believable, but for a few of the other characters.

Much like Never Let Me Go (also given 3 stars, though I think I did prefer NLMG), I think this is a solid, light science fiction read. It may not be one of my personal favorites, but I can certainly see myself recommending it to others.

FULL REVIEW:
http://greatgraydays.home.blog/2022/01/29/meet-klara-the-artificial-friend/