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Kazuo Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
Ronny
Well-Known Member
I finished the book today and like Angerball, I was not sure how I felt about the book. The whole story/style/characters stayed rather ambiguous for me. There was so much about the situation that was not revealed, like the nature of the donations and the anatomy of the donors. The way their guardians seemed to care for and be repulsed by them(did they not find them so human as they'd hoped?}. The flatness of their reactions to their situation, it all was a bit muddled and kept me from any strong feeling one way or the other. That being said I did not have a hard time reading the book and will read Remains of the Day, too.
sanyuja
New Member
This was my first Ishiguro book and my initial reaction would be 'I loved it'.
The first chapter begins with words like 'carer' and 'Hailsham' and it aroused curiosity and made me read more. The way Kathy narrates the incidents without any order (chronological or whatever) keeps the reader moving back and forth a few years, which I liked. The way the author reveals that these are 'special' people made me suddenly realise that nowhere in the book does Kathy mention her parents or her 'home'. Until then I had no idea what was coming next. I hadn't read the backcover or any review, so I was in for a total surprise. I disagree with one of the posts above which says that the book was predictable. It was not at all predictable for me.
I never saw any resistance from the students. There is a mention to some girl who tried to run away and was eaten up by some wild animal. Is this rumour enough for the students to stay back and accept things as they were? Why does Kathy sound so dispassionate throughout the narration? Is this because Ishiguro implies that these students are not all that normal? Is it because they do lack some of the emotions which so called normal (uncloned, born in a natural way) human beings have? It's very shocking to me that not even one student out of the whole lot ever opposes the system.
When Madame reveals the bitter truth that there is no such thing as 'deferral', why do Kathy and Tommy accept it mutely and walk away? Why don't they even think of escaping from their world?
As for the characters, I wasn't drawn towards Kathy or Ruth. I found myself hating Tommy in certain parts of the book. Madame's character evoked a little bit of sympathy in me. Miss Lucy's character was interesting.
All in all a good book.
The first chapter begins with words like 'carer' and 'Hailsham' and it aroused curiosity and made me read more. The way Kathy narrates the incidents without any order (chronological or whatever) keeps the reader moving back and forth a few years, which I liked. The way the author reveals that these are 'special' people made me suddenly realise that nowhere in the book does Kathy mention her parents or her 'home'. Until then I had no idea what was coming next. I hadn't read the backcover or any review, so I was in for a total surprise. I disagree with one of the posts above which says that the book was predictable. It was not at all predictable for me.
I never saw any resistance from the students. There is a mention to some girl who tried to run away and was eaten up by some wild animal. Is this rumour enough for the students to stay back and accept things as they were? Why does Kathy sound so dispassionate throughout the narration? Is this because Ishiguro implies that these students are not all that normal? Is it because they do lack some of the emotions which so called normal (uncloned, born in a natural way) human beings have? It's very shocking to me that not even one student out of the whole lot ever opposes the system.
When Madame reveals the bitter truth that there is no such thing as 'deferral', why do Kathy and Tommy accept it mutely and walk away? Why don't they even think of escaping from their world?
As for the characters, I wasn't drawn towards Kathy or Ruth. I found myself hating Tommy in certain parts of the book. Madame's character evoked a little bit of sympathy in me. Miss Lucy's character was interesting.
All in all a good book.
trendy_scum
New Member
this is also the first ishiguro book i have read and i am not sure i will be
running to my bookshop for another. although i didn't think it was terrible,
personally i found his writing style rather tedious and juvenile. i know
the latter problem was probably intended but it was still not particuarly enjoyable to read the rather predictable 'unwravelling' style of narration.
it is interesting how split people seem to be on this, in this thread at least.
that said i did think it was certainly very gripping and i did enjoy the character of tommy rather a lot although i didn't have much time for anyone else. the only things that really kept this book from being awful was the idea of norfolk as a place where lost items go, which i thought was a lovely image, and the last page or so. contrary to some of the opnions expressed here, i thought the ending was probably the strongest part of the book, i liked the way it just stopped with nothing resolved and it was fairly touching.
overall i would probably rate it at about five or six out of ten.
oh and im new here so hello.
running to my bookshop for another. although i didn't think it was terrible,
personally i found his writing style rather tedious and juvenile. i know
the latter problem was probably intended but it was still not particuarly enjoyable to read the rather predictable 'unwravelling' style of narration.
it is interesting how split people seem to be on this, in this thread at least.
that said i did think it was certainly very gripping and i did enjoy the character of tommy rather a lot although i didn't have much time for anyone else. the only things that really kept this book from being awful was the idea of norfolk as a place where lost items go, which i thought was a lovely image, and the last page or so. contrary to some of the opnions expressed here, i thought the ending was probably the strongest part of the book, i liked the way it just stopped with nothing resolved and it was fairly touching.
overall i would probably rate it at about five or six out of ten.
oh and im new here so hello.
steffee
Active Member
I did too, if I remember correctly, and had I not previously read The Remains of the Day, which is much better IMO, and read positive reviews from members here, I would not have finished Never Let Me Go. I am reading another, a Pale View of Hills, now, and the language in both of these is very unlike NLMG. Much more formal, for a start.trendy_scum said:
I feel the same way. The prose was boring, but the subject matter was quite powerful, and that stays with you, I think. I still remember this story, and the characters very well, so something must have struck.
I disagree, but I see your reasoning. And to be honest, I can't think of a more suitable ending.
Hi, and welcome here.
sanyuja
New Member
I am yet to read any of his other books, so I can't compare his narration style. I have heard this from many people that Never let me go has a boring narration, it's very simple etc. I do not completely agree with this. It could be because English is not my first language and I haven't really read anything 'complex'.steffee said:
steffee said:
I liked the ending, a nice away of tying up things but still leaving a few threads loose. I kind of expected what was coming, so it wasn't very powerful. It didn't come and stare into my face, if I may say that.
Any suggestions on which Ishiguro should I read next? I want to try Remains of the day.
ghazali
New Member
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
This novel is ostensibly about a group of cloned children who are raised in a private British school for the sole purpose that their bodies could later be harvested for their vital organs, which, in turn, would be supplied to the people whose own such organs have become dysfunctional due to various diseases and illnesses.
When I discovered the plot of the book, I was delighted. I thought to myself, this book is about such a controversial and highly-charged subject: breeding humans so that their bodies could be cannibalized later. And not just humans, but cloned humans. Cloning itself is a topic that is crawling with potential social, moral, and religious issues.
But I have to sadly report that Mr. Ishiguro's novel is not about any of the above. In fact, having read the book from cover to cover, I am still not sure what the book is about. One of the biggest problems of Never Let Me Go is that it remains completely unfocused throughout its length.
Mr. Ishiguro meticulously describes the juvenile interactions and skirmishes and jealousies among the trio of friends at Hailsham but they are like the interactions any adolescents would have in their growing up together.
These children who were raised without the loving and watchful gaze of parents, didn't just lose their parents like other orphans, but they never had any to begin with. These children never knew any siblings in life. And what's more, these children never set foot outside Hailsham. Let me repeat, till these children were in their teens, they had never ever seen or experienced the outside world directly. Despite leading very sheltered and even unnatural lives during their formative years, they seemed to come to terms with the real world seamlessly. Even a normal person who has spent a substantial amount of time inside a prison needs ample time and effort on his part to "de-institutionalize," but all these angles about the lives of the clones were never addressed by Mr. Ishiguro at all.
Mr. Ishiguro refuses to deal with the ethical, scientific, and social dimensions that are inherent in the practice of cloning. He refuses to deal with the personal anxieties of the clones as they might find themselves pariahs and social misfits in the world. Also, we are told that the people of the world in general were very uncomfortable discussing clones and the way they were raised.
This issue is similar to the one about cruelty to animals involved in medical experiments; a thorny subject. Such cruelty is only tolerated due to its ultimate beneficial consequences to humans. But when these clones go out in the world, we are never told about their relationships with normal humans: did normal people look down upon them as children of a lesser god; did they regard them as martyrs who were sacrificing their bodies and eventually their lives for the good of mankind; did the people receive the clones warmly, or were they given the cold shoulder. Mr. Ishiguro again refuses to even acknowledge this aspect of the social lives of the clones.
He refuses to deal with the fact that by the time these clones were in their teens, they were fully aware that they were destined for a slow and painful death by way of surgical removal of their vital organs one after the other. And usually the fourth donation would either result in your painful death or a vegetative state of existence at best. Now these are not easy facts to live with. The gravity of this revelation and its consequences do not seem to perpetually loom over their lives as a shadow as one would expect.
The life of a clone after having discovered its purpose shouldn't be very different from that of a condemned man who has been sentenced to die. Even if he spends many long years on the death row waiting for the lethal injection, when the time arrives eventually, he wouldn't be expected to meet his death without debilitating fear and extreme anxiety, to put things mildly. But that is just what our clones seemed to do.
Moreover, we are never told about the possibility of a clone deciding not to go ahead with his donations. What if the clone simply ran away and disappeared in the world to lead a normal life. I mean, after all, Mr. Ishiguro has led us to believe that clones are just like normal people with the only difference that they can't reproduce. But that's all right, one could still lead a normal life without having any children. So why didn't they try?
Also, with the whole world clamouring for the much-needed human body parts, one would think that as soon as a clone reached maturity, his body would be cannibalized for his organs. Instead, they spend two years writing essays about their favourite subjects. And even after that, they spend years and years caring for other donor clones whereas any of the regular people could act as carers, particularly when Mr. Ishiguro makes it clear that the clones do not enjoy any intimate or rewarding relationships with each other.
The whole book was very flat and lacked any sensibility or emotional warmth. Towards the last ten pages or so, when Mr. Ishiguro tried to come up with a touching ending, he seemed to fall flat on his face. Tommy, one of the clones, describes to Kathy, that he feels as if both of them were flowing down a fast-moving river and trying to hold onto each other desperately. The analogy was so juvenile and so very melodramatic that Mr. Ishiguro's attempt to evoke any sympathy towards the clones failed miserably.
And what never stopped surprising me was Mr. Ishiguro's complete inability to write naturalistic dialogues. Every single line his characters uttered sounded phony and forced and unnatural and feeble. Everything sounded stilted and halting. If the word 'daft' was used once more, I had promised I'd shoot myself.
This novel is supposed to be a masterpiece of restraint and deeply-buried anguish....Well, the anguish must be buried very deep indeed. I looked real hard but could never find it. Mr. Ishiguro devotes pages and pages to memories which are so trivial and mundane, the reader can’t help but become exasperated quickly. Thousands of words are spent on silly episodes like losing a favourite cassette tape, helping to calm down a good friend down after his classmates play a trick on him, pondering the origins of a friend’s new pencil case, and so on.
This book was an insult to my intellect and my literary sense. It wasted a week of my life. Mr. Ishiguro, please let me go....please let me go and read something interesting and intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging. A directionless, pointless, and emotionless book about nothing, really.
This novel is ostensibly about a group of cloned children who are raised in a private British school for the sole purpose that their bodies could later be harvested for their vital organs, which, in turn, would be supplied to the people whose own such organs have become dysfunctional due to various diseases and illnesses.
When I discovered the plot of the book, I was delighted. I thought to myself, this book is about such a controversial and highly-charged subject: breeding humans so that their bodies could be cannibalized later. And not just humans, but cloned humans. Cloning itself is a topic that is crawling with potential social, moral, and religious issues.
But I have to sadly report that Mr. Ishiguro's novel is not about any of the above. In fact, having read the book from cover to cover, I am still not sure what the book is about. One of the biggest problems of Never Let Me Go is that it remains completely unfocused throughout its length.
Mr. Ishiguro meticulously describes the juvenile interactions and skirmishes and jealousies among the trio of friends at Hailsham but they are like the interactions any adolescents would have in their growing up together.
These children who were raised without the loving and watchful gaze of parents, didn't just lose their parents like other orphans, but they never had any to begin with. These children never knew any siblings in life. And what's more, these children never set foot outside Hailsham. Let me repeat, till these children were in their teens, they had never ever seen or experienced the outside world directly. Despite leading very sheltered and even unnatural lives during their formative years, they seemed to come to terms with the real world seamlessly. Even a normal person who has spent a substantial amount of time inside a prison needs ample time and effort on his part to "de-institutionalize," but all these angles about the lives of the clones were never addressed by Mr. Ishiguro at all.
Mr. Ishiguro refuses to deal with the ethical, scientific, and social dimensions that are inherent in the practice of cloning. He refuses to deal with the personal anxieties of the clones as they might find themselves pariahs and social misfits in the world. Also, we are told that the people of the world in general were very uncomfortable discussing clones and the way they were raised.
This issue is similar to the one about cruelty to animals involved in medical experiments; a thorny subject. Such cruelty is only tolerated due to its ultimate beneficial consequences to humans. But when these clones go out in the world, we are never told about their relationships with normal humans: did normal people look down upon them as children of a lesser god; did they regard them as martyrs who were sacrificing their bodies and eventually their lives for the good of mankind; did the people receive the clones warmly, or were they given the cold shoulder. Mr. Ishiguro again refuses to even acknowledge this aspect of the social lives of the clones.
He refuses to deal with the fact that by the time these clones were in their teens, they were fully aware that they were destined for a slow and painful death by way of surgical removal of their vital organs one after the other. And usually the fourth donation would either result in your painful death or a vegetative state of existence at best. Now these are not easy facts to live with. The gravity of this revelation and its consequences do not seem to perpetually loom over their lives as a shadow as one would expect.
The life of a clone after having discovered its purpose shouldn't be very different from that of a condemned man who has been sentenced to die. Even if he spends many long years on the death row waiting for the lethal injection, when the time arrives eventually, he wouldn't be expected to meet his death without debilitating fear and extreme anxiety, to put things mildly. But that is just what our clones seemed to do.
Moreover, we are never told about the possibility of a clone deciding not to go ahead with his donations. What if the clone simply ran away and disappeared in the world to lead a normal life. I mean, after all, Mr. Ishiguro has led us to believe that clones are just like normal people with the only difference that they can't reproduce. But that's all right, one could still lead a normal life without having any children. So why didn't they try?
Also, with the whole world clamouring for the much-needed human body parts, one would think that as soon as a clone reached maturity, his body would be cannibalized for his organs. Instead, they spend two years writing essays about their favourite subjects. And even after that, they spend years and years caring for other donor clones whereas any of the regular people could act as carers, particularly when Mr. Ishiguro makes it clear that the clones do not enjoy any intimate or rewarding relationships with each other.
The whole book was very flat and lacked any sensibility or emotional warmth. Towards the last ten pages or so, when Mr. Ishiguro tried to come up with a touching ending, he seemed to fall flat on his face. Tommy, one of the clones, describes to Kathy, that he feels as if both of them were flowing down a fast-moving river and trying to hold onto each other desperately. The analogy was so juvenile and so very melodramatic that Mr. Ishiguro's attempt to evoke any sympathy towards the clones failed miserably.
And what never stopped surprising me was Mr. Ishiguro's complete inability to write naturalistic dialogues. Every single line his characters uttered sounded phony and forced and unnatural and feeble. Everything sounded stilted and halting. If the word 'daft' was used once more, I had promised I'd shoot myself.
This novel is supposed to be a masterpiece of restraint and deeply-buried anguish....Well, the anguish must be buried very deep indeed. I looked real hard but could never find it. Mr. Ishiguro devotes pages and pages to memories which are so trivial and mundane, the reader can’t help but become exasperated quickly. Thousands of words are spent on silly episodes like losing a favourite cassette tape, helping to calm down a good friend down after his classmates play a trick on him, pondering the origins of a friend’s new pencil case, and so on.
This book was an insult to my intellect and my literary sense. It wasted a week of my life. Mr. Ishiguro, please let me go....please let me go and read something interesting and intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging. A directionless, pointless, and emotionless book about nothing, really.