Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This book is one I will always remember because of the time in which it came into my life. I got assigned this novel for one of my beginning English courses in school and it made a huge impression on me. I really loved it, I got to discuss it deeply with my professor and classmates and we all enjoyed it very much. The same time I got assigned this novel, COVID-19 hit my small corner of the world and everyone had to begin staying home from school and work and switch to online learning/working. I am a person who thrives from being around other people - I do not do well staying at home, being isolated from the world. So, this book helped keep me sane during the beginning of a scary and uncertain time.

Even though these circumstances are probably not going to be the same for you when/if you read this book, I still believe it will be a really enjoyable reading experience. Unfortunately, this book is also one of those that is really difficult to talk about without giving anything away. So I am going to tread as lightly as possible in order to keep the mystery alive while still creating excitement in this review.

Similar to the review before this one, there will be spoilers within this post. However; these spoilers will be hidden with spoiler tags so readers can choose whether or not they wish to read them. Just wanted to give you all a heads up!

Our story is about the lives of three people: Kathy H., Tommy D. and Ruth (Don’t ask me why Kathy and Tommy have a surname initial and Ruth does not - the book does not explain, so I have no idea lol) who all attend a boarding school called Hailsham. From a young age, all of the children who attend Hailsham have been taught that they are different and special. Unfortunately, being special means they will not live as long as the normal human lifespan. This is because the kids were bred to become organ donors and die before they have even had the chance to live their lives. While the students are told the ins and outs of their circumstance, because they are children they are unable to fully grasp the severity of it until later on. There are frequent time jumps within the story so we get to see the three friends at a young, elementary age level, then teenage level and finally early adulthood. Throughout these time jumps, we see the children begin to love and find out more about the world around them. But, we also get to see how their uniqueness causes each of them a lot of turmoil and they have issues accepting their fate. As if this wasn’t already a difficult story, we also have a love triangle between our three main characters that really tugs on the reader’s heart strings. There are so many important themes, devices and tropes used in this work, combined with a mysterious plot, that make the story so seriously good.

One of the main themes within the novel is morality. Due to the children’s circumstance, they will all three live shorter lives than the average human being. As they get older, they begin to grow bitter about this fact and jealous of “normal” people. But, towards the end of the story Kathy feels that maybe their lives are happier than that of “normal” people because they got to cherish the time that they had. As a result, a really interesting idea is brought to the reader’s attention: Are these kids living a better life than the average person because they do not get to choose their fate or purpose and know they will die young? Or, are these kids being cheated out of a life every human being deserves by not receiving free will? I loved this aspect of the book because deep, philosophical questions like these really interest me and I like to get the wheels in my head turning. Overall, I personally feel as though these kids were not given a fair shot at life and they were cheated. I would love to see what you guys think after you read the book, so let me know! Maybe we can have a long palaver about it :)

Another interesting idea that comes from this novel stems from the main character’s creation. All of the Hailsham kids were cloned and because of this, many people do not see them as human. Even the teachers at Hailsham who are with these kids everyday and see that they’re no different than “normal” people find the children revolting and scary because of their origin. So this brings us to another interesting idea/question: Are beings who were cloned from other human beings less human or just as human? Keep in mind that though the three main characters in this story are in fact clones, they still possess all of the feelings, emotions, urges that all other human beings feel. The only real difference between them and other human beings is that they are not able to procreate. Again, if anyone wants to discuss this topic, I am here for it!!

The second, and probably biggest thing I noticed while reading this book, is the author’s use of tone. Until you get to the last half of the book, you aren’t completely sure about a lot of things concerning the main characters. But, something readers are sure of is the feeling of uneasiness and suspicion they feel in regards to Hailsham. I felt uncomfortable and almost scared most of the time reading this book, especially when learning about the main character’s childhoods. Readers get the vibe that Hailsham is incredibly creepy but can’t really understand why while reading. Nothing bad happens to any of the children, despite little rumors that go around about years past, and everyone seems relatively safe. But, through tiny descriptions of the school here and there within the story, Ishiguro plants this seed early on that Hailsham might not be a safe haven like it is made out to be. We don’t completely find out why this is until the very end of the story when we discover that Hailsham is the reason why the children’s fate is sealed and is the cause for their life of confusion and trauma . I was super impressed by the author’s use of this device as a reader. I remember telling my professor who assigned the book about my feelings of fright and worry concerning Hailsham and she agreed completely. The entire concept of this book once you realize it is a bit corrupt and it is so awesome that the author introduces this from the beginning before readers start trying to decode the mystery.

I can’t very well do a review without talking about the characters at least a little bit. So, I am going to start with our main girl, Kathy H. Kathy is a good friend who helps people when in need, it’s in her nature. She helps keep Ruth and Tommy optimistic about their situation while still being very curious and trying her best to solve the mysteries. Even though Ruth, her best friend, is not always nice to her and can even sometimes be cruel, Kathy sticks by her no matter what and cares for Ruth to the very end. I admire this about Kathy so much and I really enjoy reading about her and her growth throughout the novel.

Ruth is one of those people who seems super confident but is actually incredibly insecure and tries to bring other people down in order to make herself feel better. She is also incredibly selfish and she expresses this through her role in the love triangle with Kathy and Tommy. Ruth is aware that Kathy and Tommy both like each other and become closer and closer everyday. But, instead of using this knowledge to try and help her friends find love and happiness, she tells Tommy like she likes him and they end up dating from elementary level all the way to their teenage years, keeping Kathy and Tommy apart. I am sure a lot of you guys will say, “that’s okay, Kathy and Tommy will find a way to each other eventually”. This is true for “normal” couples and while this does happen in the case of Kathy and Tommy, it is different because of their unique situation. Kathy and Tommy are all doomed to die young, so by Ruth keeping them away from each other while they’re super young, they only get a measly amount of time together in their adult lives and it is tainted by the fact that they’re so close to death. Though she does redeem herself towards the end by helping Tommy and Kathy get together , it is unfortunately far too late. Needless to say, I did not like Ruth very much while I read this story, lol.

Tommy is another really interesting character because he is the one that has the most difficulty with their situation. From a young age, he acts out and is unable to control his emotions properly. Though it never explicitly explains this, it can be inferred that this is due to his internal confusion and trauma he faces everyday as a Hailsham student. As he gets older, he learns to control this more but even as an adult he is the only one out of the three friends who actively exhibits his emotions. I loved this because it defies the stereotypical gender role that men are not supposed to be emotional and vulnerable.

Another device the author uses in this story that I’ve already touched on is the non-linear time structure. Often these memories that come up randomly in the story help the reader, and Kathy, piece together things of her past to try and figure everything out. I don’t think the story would have moved along as well without these lapses in time because there is so much information to unpack that some really important details might fall through the cracks. This idea also helps us lead into a good quote from the work that I want to share with you guys:

“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”

Kathy H. is saying this in response to her memories she has with Tommy and Ruth. Even at age 37, Kathy can still remember all of the important parts of her childhood and teenage years that she spent with her two best friends. She holds onto these memories partly because she knows she won’t live long and wants to cherish all of the life she has lived. That is part of the reason why she believes her life and Ruth and Tommy’s lives were happier and better than “normal” peoples lives because the three of them cherished every moment and didn’t take it for granted. I know that I personally take a lot of things in my life for granted because, even though I know that death is inevitable, dying seems so far off for me in my life that I don’t cherish every moment like I should.

Final, Personal Opinion of the Book

I absolutely loved this book. It took my breath away, made me feel so many emotions throughout the story and really got my mind going. I was constantly wanting to read more, never wanting to put the book down. I love books that do this. This book makes you ask yourself hard questions about morality and ethics which is something I think we should all do a lot more. A truly fantastic work that I wish I could re-read again for the first time.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Due to all of the things I have mentioned above, I give this book full marks because I loved it so much. I feel like it is a very different and interesting topic that hasn’t been overdone (granted, I have not read a whole lot, so maybe I am wrong about this). I recommend it to all that love to completely immerse themselves in a world and want to be challenged by ideas that come up within the story.