Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ed_moore 's review for:
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field, for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other, while the wind kept blowing and blowing at us, tugging our clothes, and for a moment, it seemed like we were holding onto each other because that was the only way to stop us being swept away into the night.”
‘Never Let Me Go’ is a slow and quiet dystopian, so different in tone to the only other of Ishiguro I have read ‘Remains of the Day’, yet in its quiet style isn’t too far from it. Dystopians being ‘slow and quiet’ isn’t conventional, although I guess this is the reason so many reviews of this book try to hide what is dystopian about it.
It follows a trio of children: Cathy, Ruth and Tommy, as they grow up in a private school environment that has veiled intentions and a focus on the children’s individual creativity. I don’t think you are supposed to dislike her, but I just really didn’t get along with Ruth. It has the feeling that something is off, although the big twist as you learn what is dystopian about this world doesn’t feel like a huge moment. All the hush behind this twist made it feea l a little overwhelming as I was expecting something more and quickly the true intentions of Hailsham School became obvious to me. Don’t get me wrong, the dystopian nature of this version of Southern England is really disturbing and messed up, but wasn’t as stomach churning and jaw-dropping as I was anticipating it to be. It remains quiet throughout, but maybe that is the horror of it.