Let me start by saying that Never Let Me Go is often categorized as Science Fiction, this is why I think it has received some poor 1 to 2-star reviews on Goodreads. If you're thinking of reading Never Let Me Go you need to know that it is a literary fiction story that raises questions of what it is to be human, where the line between science and ethics cross, and how we all choose to deal with the inevitable: death.

The story is told from the perspective of Kathy, now in her early 30s and a former student of Hailsham, an English boarding school. Kathy reflects on the short time she had with her two best friends, Ruth and Tommy, their jealousies and affection for each other. Hailsham is a school for kids with a 'special' purpose and all throughout the students' education they are conditioned to accept this path that has already been chosen for each of them. This 'special' fate of each of the students is not explicitly stated to the readers or to the students until about half way through Part 1 (of 3) but as I said above, the students are gradually conditioned to the notion of their purpose so it does not come as a shock to them, which is heartbreaking. The best way I can explain this, without giving away spoilers, is to think of that feeling that you get when someone tells you bad news, news that you kind of knew/expected but were hoping it wasn't the case. It is like those negative thoughts that creep up but you silence them by distracting yourself with somethings else. Well, the reveal of the students' purpose is like that feeling.

There is no particular climax to Kathy's story but this is done intentionally by Ishiguro. Readers are taken on this gradual journey through Kathy's youth, adolescence and adulthood and the story is written in a way to drop subtle, (and eerie) hints about their fate. I think that the way Never Let Me Go is written is done so to parallel the feelings that the students of Hailsham felt: gradually realizing what is happening.

When I was done the book, I couldn't get the book out of my head. The story and its themes have haunted me. This is one of my favourite books. I originally read it in 2011 and was ecstatic to have read it this year and to enjoy it just as much as I did back then. I will admit that it pulled on my heartstrings and did make me cry at the end -- and there are only a few books (5 or less) that I can list that have done that to me. I highly recommend this book.

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