Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
I've just finished reading Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. When I say just, I mean it. As soon as I read the last page and closed the book I felt compelled to write my book review. Normally I allow myself I few days to gather my thoughts about a story before letting them out on paper, so to speak, but this one sent me through so many emotions that I felt it didn't need a few days. In fact a few days to mull over such an influential book would be almost disrespectful.
There are times in life when you come across a piece of writing and are left with not only a sense of satisfaction, but also a sense of loss. This is one of those times.
Blurb: Kathy, Ruth and Tommy grew up together at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic school deep in the English countryside with a dreadful secret at it's heart. Now thirty-one, Kathy attempts to come to terms with her childhood at Hailsham and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world.
First I'll start by saying that before I picked up this book I knew nothing about it. I knew that a film had been created based on the novel, but I have not yet even seen the trailer, so it's safe to say that I went into this with a completely open mind, and I'm so glad that I did. I don't want to go into what this book is about as that is part of the mystery of the story. On the other hand I will say that I was captured by it's charm and compelled by it's many questions from the second that I opened the book. They were times where I'd huff and Michael would turn to me and state with a questioning tone, "You love that book don't you?" and I reply with a sigh, "Yes."
This book left no question unanswered, though there were many brought up through-out the whole story. I always try to guess the plot of a story through-out, which is always part of the fun, and whereas sometimes I could guess and sometimes I couldn't, I never once felt cheated. I loved how this book captured me, I loved the characters, and I felt though the ending may have been sad, it was kind of inevitable. For me that it not a spoiler as there are many ways in which this book could have ended, so please take that statement in which ever way you feel necessary.
I could discuss this book all day long, but not in the way of a book review. My next mission is to pass this incredible book on, so I then can have someone to discuss the details with. I would recommend this book to anyone I meet. It opens up questions about humanity, and the way in which you view the world. It will take you through many emotions all in a matter of pages. And it will leave you with a sense of satisfaction and completion. It is not a book that will leave you questioning why you read it, in fact it is a book that will leave you thinking why you had waited so long to read it.
As you can tell I loved this book, and I think I would read it again. I know that this will come as a shock as I've mentioned in my previous book reviews how I don't re-read books. But I think to re-read this one would enable me to view it from a completely different angle and perhaps spot things I didn't the first time round. I will be watching this movie as soon as I get my hands on it, which I am quite excited about. I am curious to see how they adapt such a captivating story for the big screen. I'm slightly worried that it will be a bit of a let down, as with a lot of movie adaptations, but I'm keeping my hopes up.
Katie
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I'm now looking forward to finding other work by Kazuo Ishiguro, so if you have any recommendations please feel free to comment below.
