Finally finished reading "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's one of those books I've never quite got to the end on the first read, languishing on the bookshelf for years after. Miraculously it hasn't made its way to the heap I donated to the library.
"Never Let Me Go" is undoubtedly the most disconcerting book I have ever read. I can't remember when a book has moved me so and made my heart bleed. I know it will haunt me for a long time to come.
The story seems innocent enough at the beginning with the children growing up at Hailsham, a school set in the English country side. With the classes, art and guardians it gives you an impression the children are indeed "special" and privileged to be studying there.
Ishiguro takes us through their childhood with the characters wondering about their future and as you get to the end the muted hints dropped here and there hit you full force. Their future has been destined, they'd grow up to be carers, donors and complete.
Most disquieting of all is you are as "sheltered" from the truth as the characters. Through sheer brillance, Ishiguro has made each of them endearing in their own ways. When the reality of why or what they are here for dawns on you (and them), you want to cry out for them. It has been made into a motion picture with Kiera Knightley, just watching the trailer makes my heart break.
It is a morality tale and Ishiguro has written it so hauntingly beautiful you never, never want to let the characters go the way they are meant to. One line will always stay with me. "We always wonder if you have souls at all," says a guardian and that's alluded to the special children at Hailsham.
4 comments:
poster is pretty too~!( or is that the book cover)
I will pass this one I think... looks difficult. :p
Or is it not?
wondering what to read these days... :)
Hopefully I can come across something that's easy and yet fun to read like Harry Potter. Will I ever find one?!
This is the movie poster. It's really easy reading, but it's the concept of cloning these children purely as organ donors that's disquieting to me because towards the end you care too much for the characters.
Yeah although they say it's the book of the decade, the concept is not easy to stomach.
There is only one JK Rowling, what a loss she is not writing more books!!
may be I will check it out then!
Yea! she earned too much, too much fame.
I bet she doesn't want to go through all that chaos of hiding the true copy safe and getting all the stupid critics from the jealous... :(
Hope all the good things remind her to write something wonderful again though :)
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