Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - Book Discussion

This month we're talking about my absolute favourite Ishiguro book, Never Let Me Go. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below! Is it a Hailsham or a Failsham. I'm so sorry.
Articles read for this video:
Bowyer, L, Autonomy and Why You Can “Never Let Me Go”.
Carroll, R, Imitations of life: cloning, heterosexuality and the human in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go.
Gill, J, Written on the Face: Race and Expression in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.
Johansen, E, Bureaucracy and narrative possibilities in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.
McDonald, K, Days of Past Futures: Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go as "Speculative Memoir".
Robbins, B, Cruelty is Bad: Banality and Proximity in "Never Let Me Go".
Rich, K., "Look in the gutter" - Infrastructural interiority in Never Let Me Go.
Schwetman, J.D, “Shadowy Objects in Test Tubes”: The Ethics of Grievance in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.
Shaddox, K, Generic Considerations in Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.
Whitehead, A, Writing with Care: Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go".
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[@maciekhawryeczko2384]

First of all, I turned 31 a couple of days ago, so when I was reading the book (I finished it two weeks ago) I felt it very deeply: the idea that life could be just it, just 30 years. It brought a powerful context to me reading this novel. Many times I was amazed, how small desires, aspirations or dreams of Hailsham students are. They are content with all the rubbish they find at Sales; they shape their relationships and way of speaking on TV actors; Cathy loves one song from some forgotten cassette; Ruth’s greatest dream is to work in… office; when Cathy and Ruth meet up in Dover center, Cathy always brings - ta-da! - MINERAL WATER and biscuits; when the three of them finally decide to meet after ten years, they embark on a trip to see some wretched boat! And when Tommy is so keen to impress Madame with his artistic skills, he chooses… animals as an object of his interest. Not some grand landscapes or beautiful portraits. Funny, little creatures - animals. Of course, the students were made this way; the isolation they were put in made their desires and dreams small. This reminded me of a scene in this Netflix show, ‘Sex Education’, when Maeve writes an essay about her future, where she expresses her desire to have a home with big windows. Nothing wrong with modest aspirations, but it’s so sad to think how great could someone be and how tragic it is when they’re denied it. But I think this is an excellent background to show what is truly human: not this or that thing; not choosing this or that spot for a trip. But love. I underlined in the book this moment, when Miss Emily tells Cathy and Tommy that the administration of Hailsham tried to put an end to the rumour about the deferrals. Until they realised that it is no rumour: it is a part of human nature that cannot be eliminated - to experience love and wish to make it last as long as possible. It really struck me. At the end of the novel, when all the brutality of cloning system is revealed, it made me reflect upon the clash between the brutal and the beautiful. There’s a poem by a Polish poet, Zbigniew Herbert, ‘To Marcus Aurelius’, where Aurelius is being asked to simply put away all his learning and wisdom, and simply give in to all the implications of barbaric invasion: beauty and philosophy must yield to brutal force. Because it’s easier; it’s more efficient. Such is the world of ‘Never Let Me Go’ - brutal, highly efficient, but oblivious to true beauty. The whole book is a masterful description of how humans relate, of true emotion, of all the complications being in relationship entails. I was at times amazed how skilful Ishiguro is in this regard: he uses very small details to create identity of his characters. But we all can relate to these details, and this gives life to Cathy, Ruth and Tommy. I read ‘The Buried Giant’ recently, and I can see that in ‘Never Let Me Go’ Ishiguro also tackles the problem of hiding worst atrocities under silence or watered-down language. Clones live quietly in the outskirts of common awareness (this circle is even tightened by the fact that carers care for donors, so this really doesn’t bother many other people) and from the very beginning they are taught to use special terms: they do not die; they ‘complete’. You know, the first time the verb ‘to die’ is used in the novel in its proper context is at the end, during the conversation with Miss Emily and Madame. It is used only three times in the book: the first in the story about a girl lost in the woods around Hailsham; the second in the expression ‘the light died’. And only the third is referring to death of donors. A heartbreaking book, but I’m happy I read it. Thanks for your thoughts, Eddie. By the way, any idea, why didn’t they try to run? It’s never considered by anyone in the book. In the film they solved it by putting some kind of armbands on their hands, which meant that they could be tracked down if necessary. But as far as I know, the book doesn’t deal with it.

[@Lilnugget_96]

Maybe they were just inclined to accept that that’s their purpose? At the end of the book, Cathy had the opportunity to get away from it all, but maybe that’s the biggest tragedy of the book, the detached acceptance of the “clones”, that their purpose is to just donate organs and die. Somehow I feel like the thought to run away did not occur to them because they were never given the choice in the first place.

[@babekurav3v]

your review is 🙌🏻

[@shady21377]

Might be a little too late for that but for anyone wondering Ishiguro addresses that question in an interview available on YT. To me, it was always the characters not having a good enough perspective to even consider rebelling, as all they were taught was to be donors and they knew no alternative to that. I also view it as a reminder how easy it is to accept horrible aspects of our lives and the world around and just move on.

[@kristenlessard5736]

The aspect of the characters not running away certainly crossed my mind. I just finished this book literally a few hours ago. I felt frustrated by the ending. I prefer happy endings. What was most disturbing, was that it made me realize how conditioned these characters really are, and it made me reflect on my own conditioning from myself, my family, friends, society, etc. These clones were treated like a subspecies of humans, whose only purpose was to donate organs and complete (die). Their fate was decided for them. The whole playing God card rings strongly here and is a projection of honestly where our future is headed. I did not like this book because of how I felt after reading it. It was well written, had good themes, characters and twists, but ultimately, it was too sad for my taste. I would have no doubt that scientists have tried, will try, or are trying something to this extent. Designer babies are in the future, why couldn’t this happen as well?

[@nosiree88]

I just finished this book, what a ride! What fascinates me most is that Ishiguro never yielded to the temptation of going too far into the gruesome and macabre details of the donation itself, but kept the focus on the psychological aspect throughout. Great review

[@HortensyaM]

Yeah but i kinda wanted to know which organs they gave 1st... i spent all the book wondering whether its gonna be kidney or lung ?

[@HortensyaM]

In fact (ive done a bit of thinking) i kinda think Ishiguro doesnt tell us the details because he wants us readers to be part of this uncaring indifferent world of the valid who deny the existence of those students. Ishiguro denies us the possibility to know exactly what they are living because we are not allowed to connect deeply with the protagonists and I feel like it's one of the main strenghts of the book : we are on the wrong side of the barbed fence

[@nosiree88]

@@HortensyaM That's a very interesting thought!

[@AlexiaInbloom]

This was a great and concise analysis. I didn’t really enjoy this book until the end when I started crying my eyes out. I am giving it a second go. I think my experience will be different this time around.

[@RachaelTheFirboldDruid]

This was also my first Ishiguro book. I read it because the movie had come out and fell in love with both.

[@HipHop226]

I don’t use this term often, but this book is a masterpiece

[@JamieAdStories]

You give a great outline.

[@eddiecational]

Thank you! Appreciate it

[@kathrinetan9198]

I agree with you! I don't think Madamme and Ms. Emily think that the clones are equal to humans.

[@jordanfreytag893]

I'm a simple man; I remotely think about Never Let Me Go (I've read it twice) and I begin to weep.

[@eddiecational]

This is the way!

[@anisayari7833]

Personally I really don’t understand the hype around this book. I’ve just finished it & I really didn’t like it. It’s a good book but definitely not my cup of tea (the themes, storyline, the style). However I do encourage you guys to read more of Kazuo ishiguro’s works.

[@ecofrendlyfishcracker]

which one pleas

[@Ben.Cullen]

Very good video for a channel with 400 subs, good job 👏

[@eddiecational]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@inalesgwuuus5972]

I'm going to start a petition to get you to come back

[@margute22]

nice background

[@marthaplopez533]

I really liked this book but that end... really.. I cried allot...

[@theaffiyaeffect]

i may have to read it again because ive heard several people comment about ''that ending'' and how emotional it was and honestly....i felt nothing. I was left thinking....is that it!?

[@baileyahmann9496]

I was trying to pinpoint your overall argument, was it "society thinks clones shouldn't be treated as equal" or arguing "clones should be treated equally"

[@babekurav3v]

just finished the book today and I felt like I was being suffocated towards the end of it...

[@jobtabanda2664]

What is the inference of the "Never Let Me Go"?

[@MoonGhost54]

It's a song on a tape Kathy listens to as a child at Hailsham. She interprets it as the story of a woman who has been told she cannot have children but has a child despite all odds and Kathy just likes the song. Later on, near the end of the book, Tommy expresses his feelings towards his donations and his relationship with Kathy as two people, one caught in a river's current and the other holding on, but the current being too strong and ripping the two away from one another. It's kind of a layered thing, but it's more obvious in the song.

[@brendawalton2518]

They were told, but not told. Not told in a way that they would actually understand. I was raised in a cult. I lot of things I learn about the cult are things I already knew, sort of. A lot of the "weird" things seem justifiable IF the church is true and good. But what if it's not? Is the control over members excessive? Is it actually destructive and traumatizing and really only intended to benefit those at the top?

[@phylipitaglioni1970]

In the film young Ruth has blue eyes. As a young adult and dying faze her eyes are brown. Did you notice how Keira Knightley's performance seems more contemplative? While Kathy and Tommy seem more aloof. The woman who looks like Ruth. What celeb that resembles Keira does that woman resemble? Also since sheltered at Hailsham and in the cottages they don't witness really the similarities and peculiarities of people. Finally Ruth fall ill faster. She resides in hospital where there is also more traffic, chatter, and Variety of health professionals and perhaps patience.

[@meadow9441]

I found this book exceptionally boring. Apparently I am in the minority lol

[@64ngel]

No because same 😭 i didn’t even understand what was going on until towards the end of the book. Now that I reflect on the themes and the importance of certain events that took place I think it has a deeper meaning and it’s cool to think about, but again not my cup of tea as I found it too boring 🥲

[@davidgagen9856]

Agreed, a very boring and even poorly written book especially the first 80 pages or so. In my list of most overrated books of all time.

[@adoseofbeauty6443]

I read Never Let Me Go without knowing anything about the story. So the first 40 pages were very intriguing because of the mystery. However I felt that clues of the world were being given too slowly and I did have to force myself to keep reading. I finally googled the plot so that helped me let go of needing to solve the mystery and I could just enjoy the characters and their emotions. I think the author included so many small details to illustrate how people hold dear and are strengthened by the mundane

[@meganquist3988]

Thr whole way through I kept thinking and hoping and expecting " This has got to get better." But I was disappointed. It felt like a waste of time. The book can provoke good discussions, but I did not like it. I much more enjoyed the movie The Island with similar themes.