Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro
I had heard about “Never Let Me Go” a few months ago, before there was any mention of the film. I saw snippets of the trailer and with such a high profile cast, I was curious to see what all the hype was about. So instead of watching the film, I got the book and have spent the last few days reading it.
“Never Let Me Go” revolves around the lives of three children, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy who all reside in a quaint, picturesque English boarding school, unaware of the real reason of why they are hidden away from the outside world. As they develop into teenagers, the relationship of the three of them changes as they come to terms with the love that they feel for one another, as they begin to realise that the world is not it seems and that they all have a particularly special part in the circle of life.
I would have loved to have said that I loved “Never Let Me Go” but sadly this was not the case. I found the story very slow to start and even when it finally did begin to progress, it was still quite a laborious read. Even the characters grated on me. Kathy, the character whose eyes the story is seen through, comes across as quite a weak person, happy enough to blend into the background, whilst Ruth was vindictive and Tommy who although was a sweet character, occasionally annoyed me with his innocence.
I felt the story had the potential to be a gripping and much darker read, there could have been many more paths taken when the three friends discover the truth behind their lives, but this was not the case as the book came to an abrupt ending, that left me feeling dissatisfied.
Although I was not happy with “Never Let Me Go”, I am in an minority as the book has been a Top Ten bestseller.
There is no denying that there is some beautiful writing throughout the book, which was a welcome distraction, as Kazuo Ishiguro described the rural countryside that the boarding school was settled in. Apart from the beautiful descriptions, I found “Never Let Me Go” to be an disappointing read.
You can buy [amazon_link id=”0571258093″ target=”_blank” ]Never Let Me Go on Amazon[/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.
I haven’t read the book, but watched the film earlier this year (most unusual for me, I always like to read the book first). I found the film immensely depressing, though, despite liking the actors, characters and cinematography, I just found the whole story too depressing for words. So I don’t think I’ll bother with the book!