Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro

What made the tape so special for me was this one particular song: track number three, “Never Let Me Go.”

I should point out that Judy Bridgewater is entirely fictional, as is her album. But there are several real songs called ‘Never Let Me Go’, the best-known probably the jazz standard from the 50s, often played instrumentally by pianists like Bill Evans and Keith Jarret. But I didn’t have any specific song in mind here. What appealed to me was the song’s title, the actual phrase ‘Never Let Me Go’. I knew very early that I wanted this to be the title of my novel. I liked not only that it was in the first person, but also that it was a plea. I found the sheer impossibility of the request very affecting. ‘Hold me for a long time’ would be reasonable. ‘Don’t let go of me for the next three and a half hours’ would be possible. But ‘Never let me go’ is preposterous! It’s so poignant because the speaker knows it’s an impossible ask; is aware of the chasm between the yearning and what can be granted. Because sooner or later, however much both parties may cling to one another, something will come along to part them. (But we all understand this request because we’ve probably all made it, if only secretly, at some point in our lives.)