Never Let Me Go By: Kazuo Ishiguro

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• Title: Never Let Me Go
• Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
• Publisher: Vintage Books
• Publication Date: August 31, 2010
• Pages: 288
• Genre: Fiction
• Recommended Age: 16+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

I have started this review over and over again because I just couldn't find the right words to describe this ethereal, dreamy mess that I love and hate at the same time.

I know that a lot of people start this book not knowing what to think because the blurb completely misleads the reader into thinking there is nothing but normalcy in this novel. But if the plot was "normal" then why would Ishiguro have written about it then?

The truth is, this novel is more about the author's exploration of morality in the human race than anything else because he gives these three characters-Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy- an inescapable fate. I do not want to give too much away in terms of the plot because I think that it is important that people do not know the true intentions of the novel because it adds to the experience when the reader discovers what it is all about.

All I have to say is that I experienced a roller coaster of emotions with this book because I did not know exactly how to feel at any given time, despair being the overarching theme in this novel. And though it was horribly depressing at times, the book was masterfully written and Ishiguro never had to over describe everything to get his point cross.

I did not give this book a five star rating or even the four star rating because I felt like it left too many unanswered questions that could have cleared the plot up a little bit. Although I suppose it was the author's intention to leave to those details ambiguous to explore the human psyche, it still would have been nice. But it was beautifully written, albeit a bit slow at times, and I do recommend reading this book to have a unique experience.

Note about the movie: It features Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightly and completely diverges from the original plot, but it was, like this book itself, quite an experience unto itself.