Never Let Me Go (Vintage International)

A unique story about growing up and a beautifully sympathetic novel for anyone who has been in love and had to say goodbye.

DNF because library loan expired. but it was OK.

In Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, we follow three friends as they navigate love, friendship, and a fate that was decided for them long before they understood it. It is slow and hauntingly emotional, the kind of story where you feel a sword constantly hanging overhead. You know it will fall. It was always meant to. What unsettles the most is not rebellion, but acceptance. The characters do not dream of escape, only of delay. Of buying a little more time before the inevitable. Their quiet submission feels more tragic than resistance ever could. Ishiguro’s restrained writing mirrors the students of Hailsham: you are told just enough, but never enough to feel safe. There is always something withheld, and that absence creates a steady, lingering dread. It was never truly a question that they were conditioned to accept their fate, and yet we cannot help but wonder: would rebellion have changed anything at all?

I didn't know the premise of [b:Never Let Me Go|6334|Never Let Me Go|Kazuo Ishiguro|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353048590l/6334._SY75_.jpg|1499998] before I started. Even though the students were created to become organ donors from birth, the Hailsham students' lives were filled with common school-aged drama.

The Hailsham students hypothesized why they are encouraged to produce artistic and literary works, what their guardians represent, and what their lives might look like after they leave Hailsham. Assumptions needed to be made on the part of the reader to discover the answers to the same questions raised.

The story's pace was sometimes slow, and I don't care about the relationships between Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy much. However, the relationships illustrate more humanity of these students who were modeled from other people in the world.

[b:Never Let Me Go|6334|Never Let Me Go|Kazuo Ishiguro|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353048590l/6334._SY75_.jpg|1499998] does not describe why an individual who had a Hailsham student modeled after them would not keep a close eye to ensure the best match when a donation is needed in the future. There was a brief discussion of eugenics during the Morningdale scandal, which only explains the lack of tracking tangentially.

Also, counterfactuals would be possible in this world, but only one student is modeled after one person out in the world. Perhaps I'm making an assumption, but there were no descriptions of twins or any multiple births.

Overall, [b:Never Let Me Go|6334|Never Let Me Go|Kazuo Ishiguro|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353048590l/6334._SY75_.jpg|1499998] told the story grippingly enough to allow for me to like it and read it at a decent pace, but I can't think of who I might recommend this book to.

This was the second book I read from Kazuo Ishiguro, and this one was very hard to put down. As I started reading it I kept getting this feeling of unease, and also curiosity mixed with awe, as far as world building goes, the author did a fantastic job.