Never Let Me Go

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro is a science fiction, dystopian novel that was published in 2005. It depicts a world in which individuals are cloned for the sole purpose of harvesting their organs. 

Kazuo Ishiguro is a British writer who was born in Nagasaki, Japan in 1954. He’s also regarded for his screenwriting, music, and short stories. He’s one of the most important fiction writers in contemporary literature, having been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature for his novels.

Never Let Me Go and Kazuo Ishiguro

‘Never Let Me Go’ is one of his better-known novels. It was nominated for the Booker Prize (one of four times the author has been nominated for this prize). It is also regarded as one of the best novels of 2005 and one of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005.

The novel is set in a dystopian version of late 20th-century English and is narrated by a woman named Kathy, who is a clone created for the sole purpose of harvesting her organs. She spends much of the novel recalling her time at Hailsham. This real area of English is transformed in the novel into a seemingly idyllic but mysterious boarding school in the English countryside. There, the novel examines her complex relationships with two key characters, Ruth and Tommy.

The novel gradually unveils the truth about the characters’ lives and how they adapted to the knowledge when it was revealed to them.

The author’s writing is perfectly depicted in this novel. It is often characterized by its emotional depth, use of subtle prose, and often unreliable narrators, like Kathy herself. Kathy spends much of the novel trying to make sense of her life and the world she inhabits.

Books Related to Never Let Me Go

If you’re interested in exploring books related to Ishiguro’s ‘Never Let Me Go,’ you should explore dystopian fiction more broadly. Books like ‘Oryx and Crake’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood are fantastic choices. Both novels depict a realistic future in which the world is very different from reality. ‘Oryx and Crake’ is part of the “MaddAddam” Trilogy. It explores genetic engineering, biotechnology, and their impact on society in a way that readers of ‘Never Let Me Go’ are likely to enjoy.

‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry is another great option. Although written for young adults, the novel remains widely popular. It features a seemingly utopian society and explores memory and societal control in a way that’s reminiscent of Ishiguro’s writing.

Readers might also be interested in:

• ‘Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep?’ by Philip K. Dick – this well-loved novel (which was adapted into the movie “Blade Runner”) explores what it means to be human in a world populated by androids.
• ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy – This beautiful and deeply sad novel explores a post-apocalyptic future in which a father and son struggle to survive.
• ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley – This is a classic choice and a well-loved novel that depicts a future society in which individuals are genetically engineered and conditioned for specific roles in society.

Legacy of Never Let Me Go