Book Blurb:
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
My Review: 3.5 stars
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro was one of the most unique novels I’ve read (listened to) in a long time. Klara, the main character is an AF, an artificial friend.
The AFs are purchased at a high price after the human chooses him or her from stores with minimal to little interaction. How the store manager places them, in the windows or towards the back of the shops is crucial in getting the AFs adopted/bought. Like real life, the chances of success are usually because of circumstances out of your control.
The concept of this book is brilliant as it mirrors so much of humanity and the pain of loneliness. The sun’s energy is what powers the AFs so global warming and weather issues are of a concern. The threat of newer models also threatens the current AFs as they are constantly being upgraded with newer bells and whistles. Just like cars and phones, however they don’t have feelings as the AFs do.
What I struggled with was the style of writing and overall cadence of the dialogue. The voice of Klara made sense to be succinct and truncated. It was the actions of the humans that didn’t always work for me. Regardless of that, this is a book to be discussed and talked about. FYI: This happens to be the authors first work after winning the Nobel Prize for literature.
Quotes I liked:
Until recently, I didn’t think that humans could choose loneliness. That there were sometimes forces more powerful than the wish to avoid loneliness.”
“So I know just how much it matters to you that people who love one another are brought together, even after many years.”
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