Never Let Me Go review
Jul. 3rd, 2009 05:51 amThe only reason I bought Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is because a film is being made of it, and it's got Keira Knightley in it. My Keira Knightley obsession has been restricted of late because she keeps making films I don't want to see, so I thought I'd read the book of this one to check before it comes out in the cinema whether it might be worth watching.
The book surprised me - there is no action, there are no amazing revelations, startling plot twists or brutal tragedies. The concept of the society is fairly clear from the start (though the details are never fully explained to anyone's satisfaction) and very little actually happens. The fate of the "students" is not a pleasant one, but they seem to accept it (which is possibly part of the intended horror) and, while there are hints at unpleasantness outside the main focus, it is never explored directly on the page.
What the book provides is a beautifully written, quite gentle tale of an interesting set of people in a world not that different from our own. I really enjoyed reading, and I'll be fascinated to see how it is made into a film, as I don't see that being particularly easy.
The book surprised me - there is no action, there are no amazing revelations, startling plot twists or brutal tragedies. The concept of the society is fairly clear from the start (though the details are never fully explained to anyone's satisfaction) and very little actually happens. The fate of the "students" is not a pleasant one, but they seem to accept it (which is possibly part of the intended horror) and, while there are hints at unpleasantness outside the main focus, it is never explored directly on the page.
What the book provides is a beautifully written, quite gentle tale of an interesting set of people in a world not that different from our own. I really enjoyed reading, and I'll be fascinated to see how it is made into a film, as I don't see that being particularly easy.