May 2015: Never Let Me Go

[Rach , Moderator]

Never Let Me Go

[Noor]

I'm in for this book

[Nina]

I read this book last summer and didn't like it, it was not to my taste.

[Gail]

Just finished this book. What a pleasure to read; so well written. The plot reads as a modern day Brave New World. I'll have to ruminate some more; very thought provoking. (view spoiler)[ Why didn't the students revolt? Or, run away? (hide spoiler)]

[Kaya]

I can't say it's a bad book, but it didn't suit well with me. The narrator seems too passive without genuine feelings towards anything and there was no character development from first to last page.

@Gail, I asked myself the same question. That's one of the reasons, I didn't like the book very much.

[amber]

On Gail's spoiler (view spoiler)[ I don't think it's very surprising that they didn't. Look at the Holocaust, people kept packing their bags and boarding the trains long after it was clear no one was coming back from them. The feeling of hopelessness is usually overwhelming enough to stop most people from fighting back. As for running away. Where could they go? (hide spoiler)]

[Dewlanna]

I read this book last year (or the one before) and I think the way it is written, you really are supposed to observe the charachters rather than being able to relate to them.

I like amber's explanation on Gail's question, I was going to point the same thing.
Plus I wonder if it may also have to do with Kazuo Ishiguro's Japanese origin. It seems to me that eastern cultures have a different point of view on individuality, people there have tend to place more emphasis on the group well being rather than personal aspirations. This reminds me of this video where an American expat explains the "It can't be helped" attitude that Japanese people are raised in.

[Gail]

I like amber's explanation of my questions. And, Dewlanna, I thought about the possibility of cultural differences, but of American vs. European stereotypes. Your Eastern culture v. Western viewpoint makes a lot more sense.