I'd been looking forward to reading something by Ishiguro for awhile. I see a lot of other authors I respect drop his name as a writer they appreciate. I can't quite put my finger on what it was but the book just didn't do it for me.
The story follows three main characters. Kathy is the narrator, retelling stories from the Hailsham, a vague prep school of sorts where she grew up with her friends Ruth and Tommy. Today, Kathy is a carer, while the other two are donors. It's ambiguous what this means, but as the book goes on, we learn it has to do with cloning (oh yeah, if you don't like spoilers, turn ye away now; probably don't watch the movie before reading the book either). These clones exist for the sole reason to be raised into healthy organ donors. Cancer and various diseases are a thing of the past in this world. So in this respect, I can understand the questions the book raises. Do clones have souls? Is it ethical to raise sentient beings for the purpose to save other sentient beings, without regards for the feelings of the former?
I think what got me was the writing. Yes, it's the first person inside Kathy's head, a clone's head. The implication is that she's soulless, so she may tell stories in a very dull and simple way. If that was Ishiguro's intention, then cheers. But there was so much wasted time, so much "this happened, but I'll get to that in a minute, let me tell you about this other thing first" with rather unrelated events. There just seemed to be too much filler, little in the way of metaphor or gripping language. Again, a soulless clone who can't feel love would probably only know to talk, think, and write in this sentimental way. It just doesn't make for the most compelling literature.
Am I a prick because I didn't feel sad at the end? Maybe. Is there something I'm totally missing about this book? Maybe. Anyway, enjoy the song that was an influence on the novel:
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