Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

[Jeffrey]

a. I chose this book because Mrs. Schuet recommended this book to me. I wanted to read a mystery novel, and this was one of the more popular mystery books from previous years.
b. I am on page 35. The main character, Kathy H, is simply identified as a carer. She cares for donor who make donations, and this is all that the reader knows about her job. Kathy describes her childhood in Hailsham, which seems like an ideal orphanage for children. At this point in the book, Kathy has just begun talking about Hailsham and her childhood friends. This book really captured my interest early on. It feels like there is a suspense or a deeper situation going on that the author has not revealed yet. The setting remind me of the movie, The Island, where clones are kept in a facility with no parents, but instead caretakers. Donations are given by the clones to the real humans, and the clones long to be a real human. I am interested in finding out what happens later on.

[Jeffrey]

I am on page 90. Kathy continues to describe her time at Hailsham. The rules and futures set in place for the Hailsham students seem consistent with my prediction of them being clones. First of all, the guardians stress that the students are different and their sole purpose for "creation" is to donate their organs. They must not smoke or get diseases, and they also cannot reproduce. My prediction is that there are exact copies of Kathy and the other Hailsham inhabitants in the world, who simply have a clone for organ donation or blood transplant etc. I've noticed that the students are not extremely bothered by the fact that their future lies in donating organs. There is definitely an underlying ominous tone in the story, which will probably be more prominent as the story goes on.

I've noticed a theme of purity. For example, Ms Lucy is described as being different from the other guardians because of her care of truth and greater good in the students' lives. The fact that she is obviously upset about Hailsham shows that she knows what is happening at Hailsham is unjust or immoral. She longs for change in Hailsham, and this shows her sense of purity.