Book Recommendation - Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
It will come as no surprise that we live in an age where bingeing on TV box sets, surfing social media and losing ourselves in the latest game is the social norm. But, despite this, thankfully reading remains a popular pastime and it’s just as well. Anxiety and depression are on the rise, but studies have shown that reading can have huge emotional and physical benefits.
There is evidence that mental stimulation, such as reading, is one of the factors that can delay the onset of dementia as it is far from a passive pastime. Reading prompts us to create mental simulations of the activities, sights and sounds from the world we have entered into. This powerful sensory experience blends our own memories and experiences with that of our fictional friends, all of which stimulates the neural pathways. Crazy eh?
To the casual onlooker reading can appear to be a solitary and, perhaps, isolating experience. But this is far from the truth. So, with that in mind I would like to recommend Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go. Ishiguro is a master of his art and this, his sixth and most disturbing novel, is no exception. His writing features incredible misdirection which results in a curiosity that aches within the reader.
Ostensibly, Never Let Me Go follows the story of a group of children with an extraordinary and troubling purpose. We first meet Kathy, Tommy and Ruth at their home in a comfortable, country house called Hailsham. The setting is idyllic and the children live their days in an Enid Blyton style haven. However, all is not as it seems and the quaint boarding school seems to hide a darker truth.
The children of Hailsham seem to live in a world of benign neglect. Despite the care lavished upon them Hailsham children appear forgotten by the world. It is from this that the love-triangle between Kathy, Tommy and Ruth begins and as they grow and enter the world the transition from puzzled children to confused young adults.
As readers Ishiguro leaves us in a similar position. What Kathy’s innocence and ignorance has deprived her of we, the reader, have to guess. This excruciating drive for understanding propels the reader deeper into Ishiguro’s world
This dystopian novel, set in an alternate Britain, in an alternate 1990s, is often described as science fiction but perhaps more accurately falls into the category of modern gothic literature. This is because the author infuriatingly ignores the obvious questions his story raises. How is this possible? Who is doing this? Why has this become necessary? Our questions fall on deaf ears as he leaves us with the horror of his society.
Never Let Me Go is a painful, motivating, captivating journey through what it means to human and to be alive. I thoroughly recommend it. Let me know what you think.