Book Review: Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro’s science-fiction novel Never Let Me Go (2005) follows the poignant lives of three main characters Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. The story is told in the eyes of Kathy H. who mainly focuses on her relationship with Ruth and Tommy. She draws the audience in by teasing that she worked as a “carer” for 11 years and that she gives assistant to patients called “donors”. The eerie wording of this first page lets the readers know that Kathy’s job is uncommon and the way that she simply pushes the topic off for later hints that it is significant. From there the audience is taken on a recount of the melancholy lives of the students of Hailsham boarding school.
Hailsham is praised for being the best boarding school, and the kids who attended have been taught that they are privileged to be attending such an institution. Women known as the “guardians” have placed this since of high self esteem in them. These “guardians” can only be compared to as teachers. However once again there is a feeling of something unusual about the “guardians” whom scare the students into staying on campus, have the students screened weekly by a doctor, and stay curiously distant from the children. The most bizarre behavior from the “guardians” is their strong emphasis on the children’s art skills, which is hinted as an outlet for self expression. The students feel that their art is extremely important and have a desire to have their art collected by a woman known only as “Madame”, who puts them into what the students have titled the “Gallery”.
Throughout Kathy’s retelling of her childhood in Hailsham the readers learn that the students are really clones and have been physically prepared to donate their organs to sickly people, and that the “guardians” have pampered their childhoods with ideas that they weren’t much different from everyone else. It is a grim and touching story that accurately parallels the flight of all people during their adolescent years. By centering on cloning, Ishiguro is able tell the social life of most children, with their broken friendships, jealousy, rivalry, and hope, in a more remarkable way. The Hailsham kids have been disconnected from the real world, and like most children, have concocted rumors, trends, and inside jokes in order to keep themselves connected. Ishiguro perfectly takes us on a journey with Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth, and lets us understand every element about their intricate personalities. We have an understanding of Kathy’s ability to construe situations, her naiveté, and even her sensitivity to rejection and her hunger to be loved. Readers also feel connected to Tommy, the once young boy with an awful temper who had been shunned from group games and conversations that grew up into a thoughtful man, there is a sense of heroism in Tommy. Finally there is Ruth, the character that readers may initially hate, do to her manipulative and bossy ways, but soon pity when we learn about her longing to fit in, her sensitive personality, and most importantly her hope for a real life.
Hope, is what really the story became to be about. Hailsham was initially created to give the clones some hope or some idea that they were still people. The art projects had such strong emphasis so that the guardians could have some hope to continue their projects. Hope is what fueled Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy’s adventures in the story, and finally it is what ended it all. The lack of hope is what ultimately ended their adventure and what the story is about. Ishiguro produces a beautiful story about the struggles of life through the eyes of clones that aren’t considered people at all. It’s a beautiful story about self-identity and having something to live for.