COMMENTARY: Never Let Me Go (2005)
The following are thoughts and reactions I had while re-reading Never Let Me Go (2005) by Kazuo Ishiguro. They do not reflect my overall post-reading opinion of the work.
⚠️ SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD ⚠️
- Ch. 1 - the fact that Kate H. Is proud of her work is such an indictment of capitalism (or even just humanity) when you’re proud of your work when you’re in the muck of the system and don’t question any of it. It is what it is and I’m proud of the work I was asked to do.
- The Tom arc as the opening story is brilliant. We’re thinking of them as just kids in an English school and while POV drops hints… nothing is explicit yet, but there’s enough to hint at what’s going on. The unease, anxiety, and tension is just good.
- Every single chapter ends on a cliffhanger. You almost don’t expect a literary writer like Ishiguro to do this… but here we are
- pg. 139 (48%). Midpoint reveal. Yes, they are clones. And the concept of “possibles” is the most mirrorest mirror moment of all mirror moments. Literally looking for a reflection of yourself.
- it’s very clever that the whole book is just these kids, then teenagers, just talking about their feelings over the most trivial and mundane things… because those are exactly the kind of emotions we all went through when we were younger. They’re literally just like us (ha ha. That’s a clone joke)
- ch. 13. Oh cool. That was good set up and pay off. Kath picks up what Ruth thinks she’s doing at the leg stretching break during the road trip. Ruth returns the favor (sorta), when Kath says they shouldn’t visit Martin. Then Kath backs her up about the Hailsham alumnus who became a park keeper with Tommy playing along. Then the power shift with Tommy refusing to play the role again when it came to the concept of deferrals. Kath notices he picked it up but refuses to play. Ruth betrays him, says he’s not really Hailsham. And then callback to Tommy’s anger.
- pg. 158 - wow. Mirror moment.
- ch. 14 - shit just got real. Spy on a possible, thinks it’s good enough, would’ve made a good story. No, Ruth wants a second look, then the possible leaves. They follow into an art gallery. Too close. Now everyone slowly realizes she can’t be Ruth’s possible. Then awkward convo with the shop owner, and then stare at sea, false apologies from veterans, attempt at saving Ruth from Kath… and then betrayal with rant from Ruth but also real world insight and perspective to their lives as clones.
- ch. 15 - they don’t find a possible, but they find the lost tape. The deferral convo is tied up. The porn mag obsession is tied up. The Norfolk trip delivers a lot of sweet and emotional closures.
- 12 was set up for the Norfolk trip. The possible concept. Excuse to go on a trip. 13-15 delivers on it. That’s a 45 page chunk. We could argue the porn mags in chapter 11 helps set up the conclusion for 15 as well. The whole of part two is just solid storytelling.
- Ch 16. Ruth is really a piece of work.
- a donor “completes” when they die. That’s such a great bureaucratic word.
- Part 3 starts at the 70% mark. The ending/climax starts here.
- ch 19. The final mission is agreed to. pg 236/288 (82% mark). Ishiguro really does a great job showing how defeated Ruth and Laura are. By making them clones with an accelerated timetable post-secondary… we bypass the middle age stuff and go straight to elderly care, regrets, and end-of-life stuff.
- ch. 22 - Man, what a rough info-dump reveal. I had totally forgotten about this from when I first read it. I’m trying to place where/when I did. I want to say it’s not what I have on Storygraph, which was a guess. Maybe it’s even earlier, like eBay days? 2006? 2007?
- Just confirmed. April 2006. A book rec from GS from eBay days.
- Yes, I know Kath becomes a donor after her twelve year run, and yes, I see her hinting clearly at it (most carers only get a 14 year run at most, she hints at what center she’ll end up with, she’s obviously thinking about death wiht the barbed wire)… but Ishiguro never explicitly says she’ll become a donor, and I’m sure he did that on purpose. For the reader, it’s like the concept of deferrals and true love. We know it’s not true and yet we still want to believe. I think I’m walking away from this book feeling this way for Kath. I know she’s going to end up as a donor and she’ll complete… but maybe, just maybe, you have this stupid belief that she’s special and different because you spent so much time with her. It’s dumb, I know. Just like Tommy, Ruth, and Kath’s belief in deferrals. It is basically God/religion. Any rational, intelligent being will come to the conclusion that there is no such thing… but we want to believe, especially as we grow older and nearer our end.