Why does he want to do this to me? Why does Kazuo Ishiguro want to make me cry for imaginary characters? The answer, for me at the very least, is that they aren’t make-believe. Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth are real – they are us, the readers, and they smell of our lives in all its complexities. I read this book twice. The first time took me roughly fourteen hours. About four days later, I picked it up again and finished in about six. Both times the fundamental truth that underpins our own is startlingly clear in the memories Kathy remembers: no matter how long we have, it is never, ever enough. We all want to defer completion. Wouldn’t it be nice to have another three years? Hell, why not swing for four?
Kathy H. presents her life without guile or angst. She is young, but she is old. In the end, it seems like she’s accepted her fate. She isn’t going to rage against the dying of the light. Instead Kathy meets her preordained fate with resigned acceptance. The story isn’t a tale of free will versus destiny, it is a study of life and living, and the incomprehensible difference between them; the nature of the human soul, love and longing, friendship, existence, and Time.
Ishiguro has incredible insight into the human condition. Without saying as much, he points out the certainty in our world that we would sacrifice the lives and liberty of artificial humans for the sake of preserving our own kind. I suppose the story is as much about the needs of the many over the wants of one, but I’ve never read anything else where I’ve wanted so badly for the wants of one to be so selfishly fulfilled. “Never Let Me Go” is dark and beautiful, powerful and moving. The ending, in particular, as the symbolism of Norfolk transcends being a place where the things we lose end up, to the fields being a tiny personal heaven for her, is unforgettable. I recommend this to anyone who has read his previous work, watched the movie adaptation, or just stumbles upon this review. It’s simply terrific.
