Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

I understand that this has been made until a film recently, which I have absolutely no intention of seeing. What a ridiculous choice of book to make into a film. I really do despair of the film industry.

This is a quiet, personal tale which deals with some strange and rather gruesome subject matter from the point  of view of a bunch of kids.

I really like this story - but I can see why others don't. It's very passive and careful and sort of hovers over the meat of the story - but I found this to be rather refreshing. I know that Ishiguro is capable of writing in a much more direct way - see 'When We Were Orphans' for an example of this – but I think that this narrative style suits the main character herself. Kathy is careful, and she's hesitant to come to quick conclusions, and this is her story. So I have no complaints with that. In addition, I found the horrifying nature of the subject matter was dealt with very well using this technique. If the narration had been more in-your-face it would have cheapened it somewhat, I feel. I like the counterpoint of the narrative style versus what is actually happening. As for the twist - well, I saw it coming a mile off, and it was my understanding that this was intentional.

This was less of a 'what the hell happens' story and more of a 'why does this happen' story, and again, the  slow, careful plotting makes the eventual understanding on the characters' part all the more shocking. They take the news like world-weary adults resigned to their fate, and this otherworldly, unnatural reaction seems somehow inevitable while still making me want to shake some fight into them.

I've read better, and from the same author too, and I can understand the disappointment that some have, but I  think that it took an incredible amount of skill to tell a tale like this with such a simple, naive, charming cast of characters that is both fatalistic and doomed yet utterly content. It's the closest approximation of an utterly alien way of thinking that I've read in some time. A lot of sci-fi authors should read this before tapping out yet another Quuuaaaxxx'roghtor warrior-beast who feels triumph, despair and love just like us meatbags do.

Basically I love the way that this does everything a young writer is told not to do, and not only gets away with it, but does so with panache and style. Classy sci-fi human drama - not something I come across too often.