Powerful Undertones

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro, follows a recent span of books I have read that deal with more emotion than plot. What I mean by that is that this book is not a suspensful one. It is not one that will keep you up all hours of the night. No, it is not that kind of book. Instead, it is a slow to start book that builds up a very silent but very powerful momentum. It is a book that must take it's readers through the lives of the three central characters; Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. The book opens in the present centering around Kathy. We are quickly pulled into a flashback of how she, Ruth and Tommy became acquainted at the Hailsham school. All of the students at this school have been raised to know they were different. It is not until the truth is revealed about their differences that the truly haunting idea behind the book comes to light. The whole scene around Hailsham and the guardians (those who watched over the students) proved very dark to me, if not a bit cold. There is a sorrowful undertone that surrounded the theme of Never Let Me Go.

I felt mostly that this book was a short, decent read. It is a summer book that will provide a break from the monotonous reads that are out there. I would recommend reading it, if only to offer up something different and unable to predict. Ishiguro provides an intense backdrop for an unsettling story.