The novel is regarded as one of the best of the 21st century and is commonly cited for its exceptional exploration of humanity, morality, and relationships. It is narrated by Kathy, whose unreliable recollections are filled with nostalgia for the past and acceptance of her fate.
Spoiler-free Summary
‘Never Let Me Go’ features the life story of Kathy a woman who, along with her close friends, was created as a clone for the sole purpose of living to donate her organs to non-clones.
She spends much of the novel remembering her youth, what they learned about the world they’re living in, and the school, Hailsham, where they grew up. The novel gradually unveils the truth about their situation and the rules/policies around it.
Kathy ages through the novel and eventually faces her fate, and the fate of her friends, at the end of the book.
Full Summary
Warning – This article contains important details and spoilers
The book begins with Kathy, the narrator, describing her youth at Hailsham, a special school she grew up at. She describes making friends with Tommy and Ruth, two of the major characters in the novel, and briefly mentions some other students in the school.
Kathy also talks about the guardians who watch over them, including Miss Emily and Miss Geraldine. When describing the school, she specifically mentions the art classes the students are made to participate in. Everyone is highly invested in them and some students are more talented than others. Tommy, for example, wants to draw but is made fun of by the other students as Madame does not select his work to have it in her personal gallery.
At one sale, Kathy buys a cassette tape that contains a song titled ‘Never Let Me Go.’ This song makes Kathy incredibly emotional, and she imagines herself as a mother while dancing and singing along with the song. Kathy sees Madame watching her and notes that the older woman is crying at the sight. She’s not sure why this is the case but learns later that she can’t have children.
As the students grow up, it’s revealed to them that they’re clones. They were created with a specific purpose, but they aren’t sure what that is yet. They later learn that when they grow up, they’ll be trained as carers who take care of one another as they become “donors.” These donors give up their organs, one at a time, to benefit the non-clones or regular humans. The carers (Kathy is a carer while she’s telling this story) are responsible for taking care of the donors during these surgeries.
The students accept their fates, seemingly because that’s all they know. Tommy and Ruth become a couple during their last year at the school and as they are transferred into the Cottages. There, they socialize further and discuss their lives. They meet Chrissie and Rodney, two older students, who believe they’ve seen Ruth’s “possible,” or the woman from whom she was cloned.
It turns out that the woman they try to find is not Ruth’s “possible,” and this upsets her. Kathy, who lost her original “Never Let Me Go” tape, finds another copy at a second-hand store. It’s a duplicate, but this doesn’t bother her.
Kathy realizes around this same time that she’s in love with Tommy, her life-long friend. But Tommy and Ruth are still in a relationship. Tommy starts completing animal drawings, which Ruth teases him for but Kathy likes them. He tells her that he wants to submit them to Madame’s Gallery, thinking that maybe those who have artistic talent or those who are in loving relationships don’t have to go through with the donations.
Later, Ruth, Kathy, and Tommy leave the Cottages to begin working as carers. Kathy cares for Ruth during her donations, and they all travel together. During this trip, Ruth apologizes for how she’s treated Kathy and urges her to become Tommy’s carer.
She thinks that the two might prove they are in a relationship and asks Madame if they can have a deferral from the donor program. Ruth dies after her second donation soon after this happens.
Kathy and Tommy start a relationship together, and they learn that Hailsham has closed and that the school is an attempt to make the treatment of clones more humane while they are young. They also learn that deferrals from the donation program have never existed, and there’s nothing they can do to save themselves from it.
Tommy and Kathy are both frustrated by their situation, wishing they could stay together, but Tommy soon dies after his fourth donation. Kathy transitions into her job as a donor at the end of the book. She expresses her feelings for Ruth and Tommy and their pasts. The novel ends with Kathy considering her memories of her past and how she knows that they’ll never leave her because they’re so strong.
