Never Let Me Go — Kazuo Ishiguro
Technology breakthroughs have been expeditiously dynamic so far, that every puzzling affair has an explanation; every argument has a resolution; hard and unpleasant conditions are made effortlessly tolerable; irreparable diseases has somehow been manageable, and so on. However, as science tends to flourish more, it stirs dispute concerning moral issues. Never Let Me Go tackles such matters.
A few months ago, my younger sister and I were flipping through my collection of Candy magazines. We were jotting down featured movies from the magazines, making a long list of movies to be watched. Eventually, the time came for Never Let Me Go. Judging from its title; it made me think that it was a chick flick, yet it wasn’t.
The movie was slow-paced at the beginning and I can’t seem to understand what was going on. Further into the movie, I finally realized that these kids were clones, created for their organs. There was one scene that really haunted me, the part where Ruth was already in completion. You can see that the doctors had just removed her kidney (I think it’s a kidney though) and put it in some sort of plastic or whatever container that is. And there she was: eyes wide open, terribly pale, and lifeless.
This novel certainly is one without a bang—yet it seems like there is some invisible force that keeps you from putting it down. The writing was languid and subtle, but I didn’t find any dullness in there like some people did. I reckon everyone doesn’t always have to agree with everything. I find Kathy’s point of view determined to “pull readers into their world.” I mean, how she reminisces her life in the past was like chatting with an old friend and just telling your story. No fuss about how approach you’ll use; just the natural discussion. And so I was more and more engrossed as I go on with the story.
Probably one more thing that I’ve liked about this book was how Ishiguro vividly tackles the inhumane designs science has to undertake for saving people’s lives; which, then enters the Utilitarianism Theory. Of course, the welfare of a greater number always comes first. Hence, the mere purpose of these kids’ lives was to die and sustain another’s, which is just too depressing to even think about.
I hate Ishiguro for making my life more miserable than it was. (Kidding!) However, I didn’t regret reading this because I have learned to value life more and to make something better out of it.
Rating: ★★★★★
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