Books of the Month

'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro

DECEMBER

A Hailsham childhood seems an idyllic one. Here, surrounded by rolling countryside, a group of students receive a caring and cultured education from their guardians, encouraged to stay healthy and practise painting, drawing and reading literature. But who exactly are the 'guardians', and more to the point, who - or what - are the students?

Never Let Me Go is like nothing Ishiguro has done before - a brave switch of subject matter and style which demonstrates an author keen to continue stretching his talents and achievements rather than resting on his literary laurels. Familiar though is the author's enduring fascination with memory, and the way it can help and hinder the telling and retelling of stories. Readers of Ishiguro's other work may also recognise a tentative narrator who constantly questions their own storytelling ability. Here it's Kathy H., a former Hailsham student coming to the end of a stretch of work as a carer. The novel follows Kathy's reminiscences about growing up at Hailsham, along with her friends Ruth and Tommy, and how the relationships between them changed when they left, and as they discovered more and more about who they were and the roles that were pre-determined for them.

Written in a disarmingly unaffected, un-literary style, Never Let Me Go is hugely engaging, and both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Resisting the temptation to over-explain a central concept for which others have branded the book a foray into science fiction, Ishiguro allows the story to seep out in the subtlest way possible. A great read.

Susan Tranter

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