Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

What lengths would we go to in order to save a life? That is the question at the heart of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.

The story starts in a seemingly ordinary boarding school, where we encounter students  attend lessons, play sport and friendships are formed.

However, it soon becomes apparent that this is not a normal boarding school and that the students have a surprising (and haunting) future ahead of them.

Ishiguro builds the story in a similar way to that in which the students learn their fate – it is gradual and mostly implied, rather than stated. Little clues are offered, in the words of teachers, but little is said.

I don’t want to give too much away as I really enjoyed this gradual dawning of the truth, and I think this is an important element of the story.

The way in which ordinary life is juxtaposed with the extraordinary premise of the story is extremely effective. The students are not immune to teasing from classmates and romantic rivalries, and it is easy to get drawn into this element of the story, before realising the broader reality of the students’ situation.

As the students’ lives progress, relationships shift, as does their understanding of their lives and the value that has been placed on them. They realise their lack of control over their futures, and this growing understanding is quietly devastating.

I really loved Never Let Me Go. Ishiguro writes with beautiful restraint, which was also evident in The Remains of the Day – another gorgeous book.