Never Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a 3-star review which is being a little generous. I don't recall who might have recommended this book. It tries a bit too hard to be "literary" at the expense of not telling a coherent story with believable character actions and motivations.
It's a little hard to review this book without giving away the major conceit. So... spoilers!
The premise of this book is that people have the ability to create clones of themselves for use when their body parts start to wear out. These clones are raised with the understanding that they will have to enter a period of "service" which will ultimate lead to their deaths.
We follow one group as they grow up in a sort of boarding school environment. They are given a sound education and a supportive environment. Eventually, they are allowed to leave/graduate and pursue other interests before entering their time of "service". Many of the clones actually work within the "service" industry by caring for other clones as their body parts are harvested. Not every surgery is life-ending although eventually, the doctors take something important.
It is implied that the clones are grown as a one-for-one source of parts for another person. Although I believe it is possible for clone to be genetically close enough of a match to others, this isn't a significant element of the story.
The relationship between the "person" and their "clone" is a bit unclear. It isn't clear how the growing of clones is funded or how that funding is justified. The entire arrangement smacks of a bit of the British NHS.
Another thing that isn't clear within the book is how one might know which is the clone and which is the original person. The clones appear to enjoy a large degree of autonomy and travel widely. They are able to pursue employment well beyond their function as clones.
Why can't a clone hop on a boat or a plane to simply leave the country? What is the medical/legal framework that keeps them from running for their literal lives? How might one differentiate a person from their clone? What is the mechanism (beyond propaganda/brain-washing during their formative years) that compels them to "serve". This is the one, huge plot-hole in the entire book. They end up serving as reserve body parts for no other explained reason than because "someone said so".
We eventually learn that this boarding school environment was not typical. It was a sort of experiment that was eventually discontinued due to a lack of funding. Most other clones just sort of plugged along being given a poverty level of existence.
While the book does inspire some level of reflection, the unjustifiable inevitability of the clones' "services" harms the overall reading experience.
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