Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro is a dystopian book about a young woman, realizing she’s being used for “parts”. Mr. Ishiguro is a Nobel Prize winner from England.

Kathy is a regular schoolgirl being raised in a private institution called Hailsham. The students know that something is not quite “right”, but they can never figure out what – until they leave the safety of the grounds.

Kathy, Tommy, Ruth and others realize they are being bread to be care givers, and as parts “donors”. There is, however, a rumor of a way to live a long, happy, and healthy life.

This is one of the books which was assigned to our daughter in her English class. I make an effort to read the books our children are assigned in school, and I usually enjoy them very much. In the case of Perfume, much more than she did.

It took me a long time to get into this Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro, about two-thirds of the way. The writing style was conversationalist, which is OK – but I’m not a teenage girl. The protagonist, Kathy, half the time is having a conversation with the reader (and this old man doesn’t find teenage girls that interesting). The other half of the time, the reader is seeing the world through Kathy’s eyes.
Again.. this old man…

The last third, however, flows and I was able to finish this part in one day. The “twist”, which is teased throughout the book with not-so-subtle clues, left me numb.

The main issue I have is that for a coming-of-age novel, the main characters really don’t overcome any sort of hardship. If anything, they’re being treated especially well, and are not growing up at all nor are they able to change their fate.

I can certainly see why this book is so loved. Our daughter adored it, and hence the 5 star rating, I’m glad I read this book and grateful to her wonderful teachers who introduced her, as well as me, to books we most likely never would have otherwise read.

3 stars from this old man / 5 stars from his teenage daughter. ( )

Coinvolgente, ma anche molto inquietante e, per certi versi, respingente.
Questo effetto contradditorio nasce dal fatto che la narrazione si snoda su due piani distinti: da un lato c’è il tema distopico della clonazione e dall’altro quello realistico, e finemente indagato, dell’amicizia tra giovani. Il risultato, non so se voluto, è un libro che affascina e nello stesso tempo disturba. ( )