Never Let Me Go

Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go is a slow burner in every way. The narrative is almost that of a memoir, and a very British one in that the action is slow, calculated and utterly repressed. In some ways it is very frustrating because he creates a science fiction story that is almost secondary to the childhood dramas of the three main characters. I often found myself wanting to skip the detail rich descriptions from their childhoods to get to the more compelling tid bits (which he spells tit bits) that informs the why's and what's of the tale. Of course, this is intentional. It is the richness of the microcosm of these particular lives that answers the novel's concluding questions.

Though sometimes slow, it is nonetheless compelling. Once you have been introduced to the mystery, however simple it is to predict, there exists a real need put all of the pieces in place before walking away from it.

The emotional experience of reading this book is very similar to that of Atwood's Handmaid's Tale. While I can say that it is a masterful creation and definitely worth the read, it is utterly depressing, and I am left with a mild, but unmistakable sense of horror.