Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a melancholy yet moving dystopian story about the value of a human life, and indeed what it means to be human. I don't know how to meaningfully discuss this work without spoiling some significant parts of it, so stop reading this review now if you haven't read the book and don't want some plot points spoiled. In Never Let Me Go people are cloned and these clones are raised from childhood to adulthood, going through special schools and training programs, until finally as adults they are called upon to make “donations” (or have their organs harvested to give to regular non-clone people). The “donors” know what they are and what their ultimate destiny is from a fairly young age. It's heartbreaking to see these characters grow up, discover what they are, and simply live with it as if it were normal. It also strained my suspension of disbelief. As adults the donors drove cars and enjoyed some freedom of movement, yet the protagonists never really made meaningful attempts to run away. There wasn't really mention of anyone protesting the practice of raising these donors and then slowly killing them for organs. Based on the way people in real life protest abortion, animal testing, and even eating meat I thought it was pretty unrealistic that everything could simply be so calm, so accepted, and so inevitable. Perhaps this is my American sensibilities running up against the British setting of the novel, but I just couldn't understand why all this went on without a fight or even much of a complaint? Despite this, the book features excellent character development, relationships, and slow-burn world building. I rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️