Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

rrp $23

The haunting and mesmerising story of three children who grow up in an exclusive and secluded boarding school in the English countryside will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page.  Author Kazuo Ishiguro, of The Remains of the Day fame, was nominated for a Booker Prize upon its release five years ago.

Never Let Me Go is narrated by Kathy, a “carer” in her late 20s who is thinking back to her seemingly idyllic upbringing at the Hailsham estate and her two best friends, Ruth and Tommy.  The students are taught about the world and their role in society, but never venture outside the school grounds.  Their already-set future on the outside is always alluded to by their teachers (called ‘guardians’) and it builds quite a portentous feeling.  The denouement is equally shocking and thought-provoking, which questions the meaning of life and the nature of humanity.

Ishiguro’s simple and minimalist prose, in the voice of Kathy, never quite prepares us for the heartbreaking events later in the novel.  This beautiful book has recently been adapted to film, and is due for release in Australia in late February.

Read the book before you see the film!

In store now.