Life > January 24, 2008

By By Kyle Lawrence | Contributing writer

From Kazuo Ishiguro, author of Man Booker prize-winning novel The Remains of the Day, comes his recent novel Never Let Me Go.

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Falling just short of winning the Booker Prize in 2005, and instead finishing as runner-up, Never Let Me Go nonetheless displays maturation and skill on the part of Ishiguro that few authors can emulate.

Admittedly, this reviewer was at first intrigued by the cover, which led to the perusal of the summary on the back of the book, which led to the subsequent purchase and consumption of the novel as a whole.

Such impulse buys often produce withering, frail literature, but not this time. In Never Let Me Go, this reviewer found a superbly crafted novel, worthy of deep and pointed thought and a potential second reading.

Set in late 1990s Britain, the novel centers on the narrator, Kathy, who recounts her life and the lives of her friends Ruth and Tommy at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside called Hailsham, where their teachers often remind them of how special they are.

This special quality, though, is unbeknownst to the reader. As the novel progresses, Kazuo Ishiguro is telling the reader, and not telling the reader.

The defining quality of these Hailsham students, which ultimately defines the lives of Kathy, Tommy and Ruth, is never explicitly detailed for the benefit of the audience.

Rather, Ishiguro deftly and delicately develops a plot that blossoms slowly in the eyes of the reader. Certainly, Never Let Me Go is not crafted in the pleasing, cheerful beach read mold.

However, the novel is a quick read, lending itself to giving a thoughtful read to an intrigued student over break.

Though this reviewer lamented a real lack of dialogue, the language and style of the novel was accessible, to the point and flowing.

As heartrending as the novel is, Ishiguro’s technique of revealing details slowly can not be emphasized enough.

He chooses words carefully, never revealing too much but always revealing enough to keep the reader attached, yearning for light to be shed upon the encompassing detriment that plagues the Hailsham students.

Indeed, the technique with which Ishiguro shapes the plot creates a page-turner of a story.

Some parts of the novel seem lacking, though.

For such an emotionally-charged story, the characters seem highly apathetic and flat, and as readers will discover, this is an odd irony.

As well, readers mustn’t look for a movie-ending, with all resolutions solved and all loose ends tied.

If Nicholas Sparks is your thing, this book may not be for you. Nonetheless, as readers come to find out, the story has implications upon our modern society and particularly science.

To this end, the purpose of the novel falls short of enjoyment, but turns instead to societal criticism, and it easily gives rise to new problems and predicaments that may plague our world in the very near future.