Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
It’s been a while since I last read a book, well, finished reading a book. I’d been dragging on with this one; maybe reading a Kazuo Ishiguro’s work might not have been a good choice to begin with as I tried to get back to reading again.
Never Let Me Go is widely recognised for having been adapted into a movie, which gained a reputation for being very sad and emotionally impactful. This emotional weight is partially why it took me quite a while to bring myself to reading the book, even though it had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time.
This novel follows the lives of three friends – Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth – who grow up in a seemingly idyllic English boarding school called Hailsham, with Kathy being the main narrative. As the story progresses, it reveals that the children are brought up in special schools to prepare for their further donations. The story explores themes of love, memory, and identity – not only who you are, but what it truly means to be a human.
While I was in the first half of it, his writing reminded me of his other works, A Pale View of Hills and The Remains of the Day. This is the third book I’ve read of his. His plain writing style doesn’t really build to a dramatic peak early on, which affected how engaging it felt at first, especially for someone who’s trying to get back to reading. For some readers, the beginning of the story might come across as somewhat slow or even boring. Yet, it’s this kind of plain, simple writing that forges the strongest connections with the readers, much like the threads woven through their everyday lives, listening to an old friend in a conversation, catching up on how she’s been over the last few years, which in a way establishes a bond on a profoundly personal level.
Following Kath’s journey as a carer and reflecting on her memories back in Hailsham days, then later in the Cottage, it’s only in the later part of the novel captivates me more deeply, where it confirms that they are, in fact, clones. The lives they find themselves in are predetermined and meticulously set out from the very beginning – become a carer, then a donor. As much as they want to change their destiny, the reality remains unyielding. They can’t escape nor alter the destiny formulated for them, no matter how hard they strive to assert their humanity – humans with souls – even with the guidance of Miss Emily and Madame who aren’t just teachers from the school, but guardians.
“We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.”
I find ourselves in a similar situation, in a way. Life has been laid out before us with all the unknowns and uncertainties. While we’re fortunate to have the power to change the things that don’t serve us, there remains plenty of circumstances – especially those rooted deeply in our past – that have shaped who we are today. These elements often lie beyond our control, yet they set the trajectory of our lives. Of course, as I said, we possess the ability to change much of what we can influence, fortunate enough, but this capability only extends so far to a certain extend. There’ll always be factors beyond our grasp. Ultimately, the only thing within our control is the way we perceive and accept all that stands before us, whether we like it or not. Once we cultivate acceptance, we can thoughtfully consider the changes we desire, and whether they’re within our reach to pursue.
“You have to accept that sometimes that’s how things happen in this world. People’s opinions, their feelings, they go one way, then the other. It just so happens you grew up at a certain point in this process.”
Witnessing Kath losing her closest mates one by one as she carries on her life that’s left with no choice, finishing this book feels like losing a friend too, who has completed the journey that’s set out for her.
