2010-08-16

Don't call it a Comeback & Never Let Me Go

Hey folks,
Yes I am back. I’ve been horribly absent from this blog but trust me it was because of a worthy cause. When I’m not lost in the written word I like to find ways that I can keep myself busy. So that’s where I was. But now I’ve returned like that cat that came back. Thank you those who’ve stuck around to read my literary rantings. I’ll try not to stay away so long.

Never Let Me Go: Go Get the Tissues.

Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro has been sitting on my TBR pile for a long time. I was motivated when I saw the trailer for the new movie adaptation. That trailer pushed me to the point where I finally picked it up and entered the world of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. These three friends are all students of Hailsham, a boarding school for those who are “special.” The story is told in flashback thru the eyes of Kathy who works as a “carer.” I am being purposely vague because I don’t want to lessen the emotional impact of this story. He is subtle in such a way that may lose readers who seek out melodrama. There are neither bombs that explode nor people held at gunfire. The stakes, however, remain just as crucial to our metaphysical existence. What does it mean to have a soul? What does it mean to be human?

Ishiguro uses a limited narration that keeps the readers at a distance. At first Hailsham seems like any other boarding school but slowly the reader gains a feeling of something more sinister. This underlying feeling that there is something “different” about the world in which these characters exist drove me forward. Even though I knew that Kathy’s tone of melancholy meant that there would be no happy endings. Kathy’s acceptance of this makes Ishiguro’s indictment of this society even more tragic. Tears welled up in my eyes upon the devastating climax because it was all so inevitable.

This book hurt my soul. I’ve talked before about books that I can’t read in public because I’ll end up making an emotional mess of myself. Well add another book to the list.

Oh by the way here’s that trailer I was talking about:



It’s good to be back. Have a great summer night, Book Slave.

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