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Sean Barrs 's Reviews > Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go
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The thing I enjoy most about Ishiguro’s writing is the sheer level of depth he gets into his characters; he captures all the intensity of real emotions whether they are self-serving or destructive. His writing style is simple, plain even, but he builds up many layers within his storytelling to unleash the full symphony of conflicted feelings in powerful bursts.
However, I saw none of his brilliance here.
Indeed, for all his talent, I don’t think this novel was as effective as The Remains of the Day or even When We Were Orphans. For me. this is a lesser novel by a great writer.
This is his most popular work, and his most critically acclaimed, and I think that’s only because of the particular themes he explores here. This is science-fiction, but I prefer the term pseudo-science fiction. It’s slightly futuristic, but the fictional elements are relatively comparable to what man can do today. Vivisection transplant is nothing new. Organ donors are nothing new. This book is very similar to the movie “The Island” (2005) where a select group of people have special clones bred for the singular purpose of providing them with replacement body parts.
What I find interesting is how these two were released so close together. For me, such forms of artifice reflect the worries and concerns of that decade. Discussions over designer babies and animal rights issues (in regards to testing, transplants and cloning) were often in the media. If we look back to the Victorians, the elements in the literature reflected the concerns of the age. This is true for all literary movements; I just used this one for an example, but the point is I think this novel reflects an aspect of the time in which it was written. And for me that’s why I think it’s worthy of study, it's timely.
But did I enjoy it?
Not overly. Do I think it is a success artistically and dramatically? Not really. For me the novel continuously fails to deliver. The retrospective narrative remains detached from the happenings. Granted, the voice has lost all sense of hope and is looking back at a life of sorrow and incompleteness, but it just didn’t have a sense of life. You could say that’s because she is semi-human in the state imposed on her, but, for me, it was too despairing. And that’s coming from someone who counts Edgar Allan Poe amongst his favourite authors.
The inability of the characters to question the situation also somewhat puzzled me. Surely, they must have had some glimpses of thought that considered their present situation an injustice? There was a lack of inquisitiveness into the morality of the situation. And this, when paired with their complete failure of recognising their own feelings about each other, made the narrative feel slightly incomplete. They didn’t seem to look beyond their own situation. As a reader, we make our own judgement calls, but where were theirs? A certain emotional immaturity, that bordered on the absurd, ran through the work.
Overall, I can see why this book is so popular. But I don’t think it’s all that. Ishiguro’s other books are much more accomplished.
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However, I saw none of his brilliance here.
Indeed, for all his talent, I don’t think this novel was as effective as The Remains of the Day or even When We Were Orphans. For me. this is a lesser novel by a great writer.
This is his most popular work, and his most critically acclaimed, and I think that’s only because of the particular themes he explores here. This is science-fiction, but I prefer the term pseudo-science fiction. It’s slightly futuristic, but the fictional elements are relatively comparable to what man can do today. Vivisection transplant is nothing new. Organ donors are nothing new. This book is very similar to the movie “The Island” (2005) where a select group of people have special clones bred for the singular purpose of providing them with replacement body parts.
What I find interesting is how these two were released so close together. For me, such forms of artifice reflect the worries and concerns of that decade. Discussions over designer babies and animal rights issues (in regards to testing, transplants and cloning) were often in the media. If we look back to the Victorians, the elements in the literature reflected the concerns of the age. This is true for all literary movements; I just used this one for an example, but the point is I think this novel reflects an aspect of the time in which it was written. And for me that’s why I think it’s worthy of study, it's timely.
But did I enjoy it?
Not overly. Do I think it is a success artistically and dramatically? Not really. For me the novel continuously fails to deliver. The retrospective narrative remains detached from the happenings. Granted, the voice has lost all sense of hope and is looking back at a life of sorrow and incompleteness, but it just didn’t have a sense of life. You could say that’s because she is semi-human in the state imposed on her, but, for me, it was too despairing. And that’s coming from someone who counts Edgar Allan Poe amongst his favourite authors.
The inability of the characters to question the situation also somewhat puzzled me. Surely, they must have had some glimpses of thought that considered their present situation an injustice? There was a lack of inquisitiveness into the morality of the situation. And this, when paired with their complete failure of recognising their own feelings about each other, made the narrative feel slightly incomplete. They didn’t seem to look beyond their own situation. As a reader, we make our own judgement calls, but where were theirs? A certain emotional immaturity, that bordered on the absurd, ran through the work.
Overall, I can see why this book is so popular. But I don’t think it’s all that. Ishiguro’s other books are much more accomplished.
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Reading Progress
February 6, 2017
– Shelved
February 6, 2017
– Shelved as:
contemporary-lit
February 6, 2017
– Shelved as:
sci-fi
Started Reading
February 21, 2017
– Shelved as:
2-star-reads
February 21, 2017
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-35 of 35 (35 new)
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BookThief
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Feb 06, 2017 07:58AM
Well I picked this last month and I was like this sounds familiar and turns out I've watched the movie ages ago,
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Vidyavardhini wrote: "Well I picked this last month and I was like this sounds familiar and turns out I've watched the movie ages ago,"I've not seen it, but I've only heard bad things about it.
Had the chance to read this at university whilst studying a literature and psychology module and I quite enjoyed it. Hope you do too! :)
Charmaine wrote: "Had the chance to read this at university whilst studying a literature and psychology module and I quite enjoyed it. Hope you do too! :)"Thanks, it's on my contemporary fiction module at uni atm!
This is the only book by Ishiguro that I've really liked, to be honest. It's good.
Not gonna lie, I hated this thing. Not for the writing, which was lovely, and not for the idea, which was very clever. No, I hated it because it thought it was so clever for thinking up a plot twist that my entire GCSE class worked out in the first five chapters. Also for that wet squib of an ending, but mostly for the pompousness with which it carried that plot twist.
I loved this book! I wouldn't really call it science fiction though, any more than The Buried Giant is fantasy. Ishiguro is all about the characters and he only uses genre tropes to put the characters in a certain situation so he can explore how they react. Or don't react, I guess, because this is Ishiguro.
Nick wrote: "I loved this book! I wouldn't really call it science fiction though, any more than The Buried Giant is fantasy. Ishiguro is all about the characters and he only uses genre tropes to put the charact..."I've heard similar things, this will prove interesting!
Charley wrote: "Not gonna lie, I hated this thing. Not for the writing, which was lovely, and not for the idea, which was very clever. No, I hated it because it thought it was so clever for thinking up a plot twis..."They could have just read the back cover or most likely googled the plot prior to class. ;)
I read this without knowing it was in the science fiction genre which was a real treat for me. Everything was just so much more surprising. Goodreads kind of ruins books like these that benefit from no spoilers whatsoever.
The inability of the characters to question the situation also somewhat puzzled me. Surely, they must have had some glimpses of thought that considered their present situation an injustice? The treatment of this subject was actually one of my favourite aspects of the book, and I think, its major theme. That is, the tendency of people to live their lives without deeply questioning their own situation or the expectations that have been set for them. In the real world, how many people really break out of the expectations of their upbringing? Most people will get trapped in the same patterns (house, marriage, kids, work), and endure all sorts of hardship, if that's what society expects of them, and as long as all their peers are doing the same thing. How many people can truly break free and think and act independently? The actions of the characters struck me as realistic within their context, and very poignant in its parallels with the real world. For me, this was the most powerful message of the book.
Edward wrote: "The inability of the characters to question the situation also somewhat puzzled me. Surely, they must have had some glimpses of thought that considered their present situation an injustice? The t..."
That's an interesting point. Thanks for taking the time to write that. I really do see where you are coming from in that light. I just felt a sense of incompleteness, almost emptiness, when reading it. Though I ascribed that to the lack of fulfilment the characters experienced in their lives. Not many do think outside the box, and act counter culturally, and, as you say, many people do fit these standard moulds of expectancies. Their actions are realistic, but I also wanted to hear the voice of the rebel because there would be one here too.
I can see why this book is so well revived, but it just didn't work for me. It felt too empty.
Bookworm Sean wrote: "Edward wrote: "The inability of the characters to question the situation also somewhat puzzled me. Surely, they must have had some glimpses of thought that considered their present situation an inj..."I understand your perspective as well. I was very conflicted about this book when I finished it, and in my review. There were many points of style and narrative that did not sit well with me initially. But in the end I was convinced by the book's treatment of the central theme, through which the book's incompleteness and emptiness (which I agree are definitely there) seem to be an intentional reflection of these same aspects of human nature, rather than a flaw in the narrative. People being obsessed by the daily minutiae (work, romance, petty rivalries) without ever examining or resolving what is really important - this book captures something very true about human behaviour, and by presenting it in the context of a situation that is so clearly unjust, it makes us examine the important things we overlook in our own lives.
Sorry to go on and on, I just really loved this book, but I acknowledge that there is something strange about it, and I definitely I don't fault anyone for not enjoying it as much as I did!
I haven't read any Ishiguro after this since I found it to be quite 'meh'. It does have some nice points as you point out but I found it quite disjointed.
ConstantReader Paul wrote: "I haven't read any Ishiguro after this since I found it to be quite 'meh'. It does have some nice points as you point out but I found it quite disjointed."his other books are much better! :)
Great discussion here - thanks. What books of his do you recommend? I loved this one and Giant and would like to give some others a go.
Edward wrote: "Bookworm Sean wrote: "Edward wrote: "The inability of the characters to question the situation also somewhat puzzled me. Surely, they must have had some glimpses of thought that considered their pr..."I always welcome discussion Edward. I like to hear what people think about books, that’s why I spend so much time on here reading the reviews of others as well as writing my own. The effect is very intentional; it just didn’t sit well with me. I guess I just wanted to see a few stronger glimpses of doubt and resistance to such a thing.
Sandie wrote: "Great discussion here - thanks. What books of his do you recommend? I loved this one and Giant and would like to give some others a go."My favourite is When We Were Orphans because it captures the longing to return to the past. And I love that, but not many people seem to like the book on here. The Remains of the Day is also very good, that may be the best one to read next.
Incisive review, Sean. I think you're probably right, and that it's the subject that makes it popular, more than the execution - especially, as you point out, the characters credulity and lack of questioning. Brainwashing cults can be powerful, but they didn't seem THAT brainwashed in other respects, and once they were living outside, I'd have expected their minds to open a little.
I read this book because I loved the movie :) If you're interested in seeing how Never Let Me Go looks on film I'd recommend it but if not the trailer is on YouTube.
Katie wrote: "I read this book because I loved the movie :) If you're interested in seeing how Never Let Me Go looks on film I'd recommend it but if not the trailer is on YouTube."I think I want to stay away from this story now! ;-)
Cecily wrote: "Incisive review, Sean. I think you're probably right, and that it's the subject that makes it popular, more than the execution - especially, as you point out, the characters credulity and lack of q..."Thanks Cecily, I think a stronger reaction was needed. They may not all have questioned it, but some, undoubtedly, would have. They accepted it far too strongly.
Also very similar to Spares (1998) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... which I believe was the inspiration for the film The Island
I agree with your review. I liked it more than you do, but I definitely see what you're referencing and why it would bother you. I would hesitate to avoid "science fiction" though. The reason you're tempted to use "psuedo" is because it isn't super futuristic, but that's only because it's the more popular form of the genre. Sci fi at its core is just the idea of taking the technologies we have or could feasibly have and pushing them forward into speculative fiction, if that makes sense. If you're still upset though with the sci fi designation, you could use Speculative Fiction instead, which is sort of when you take a "what if we had..." idea and run with it as the basis of your tale.
Agree with a lot of the comments above. Love the book but can't understand why no one seems to resist or rebel against their terrible fate. Very strange- hasn't spoilt the book for me but an unanswered question. See what you think?
Robert wrote: "Agree with a lot of the comments above. Love the book but can't understand why no one seems to resist or rebel against their terrible fate. Very strange- hasn't spoilt the book for me but an unansw..."I was torn with it. The first time I read it I quite liked it, but the second time around it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I enjoyed the story. I just don't like complacency.
I am totally with you on this one, Sean.It's as if Remains of the Day and this offering were written by different authors!
Excellent review.
Kevin wrote: "I am totally with you on this one, Sean.It's as if Remains of the Day and this offering were written by different authors!
Excellent review."
Thank you - it's a shame that this is the work he is most known for! Not his finest hour at all, it stands apart from his body of work.
I was thinking I had read this, but not this plot so it must have been a different Japanese author. Hmmm.
Book2Dragon wrote: "I was thinking I had read this, but not this plot so it must have been a different Japanese author. Hmmm."Ishiguro is british but with Japanese decent, you could be thinking of Murakami?
I was thinking The Island the entire time I was reading this! I think maybe that’s why I didn’t find as much fulfillment in finishing this text. Perhaps I just felt let down that the characters accepted their fate instead of fighting their way out of it as in The Island.
- A certain emotional immaturity, that bordered on the absurd, ran through the work. - This is basically spot on. Great review.I finished this book with a meh feeling.
Great point about the characters not questioning their injustice. I also found that to be the most unbelievable part of the story. I find it frustrating when the characters in a world aren't properly influenced by the world that they're placed in.
Thank you for the comment. I agree that the characters never question why. But I think it is intended. Do we question why we are pouring money into medical researches for diseases we cannot cure yet, but neglect the humanitarian aids that could solve some problems we know how to solve in poorer countries? We don't, and I think that's reflect in the novel that they do not question deeply why "humans" are different and deserved lives, compared to children of Hailsham.
Agree. Where was the rebellion in these characters? They were all so passive about their horrible fate. Barely questioned it, never fought back. WEAK!
