“Klara and the Sun”, by Kazuo Ishiguro, was published in 2021 and is a stunning novel that focuses on the power of perspective, as well as technology vs humanity. The novel was long-listed for the Booker Prize in 2021, and Ishiguru was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2017. The book takes place from the perspective of Klara, who is not human. Klara is an Artificial Friend, an AI robot whose job is to be friends with the person who buys them. Klara is for sale at the store and is spotted by a little girl Josie, who goes on to buy Klara. This purchase changes the lives of these two characters like they never thought to be possible.
The main conflict in the novel is that Josie is sick. Ishiguro introduces this conflict pretty early on and the reason for her illness is haunting, yet tells us a lot about society, mob mentality, and the constant need to fit in. Josie is a ‘lifted’ child, meaning that she is genetically modified to be better. The problem with this is that genetically modifying your kids at this time was leading to a lot of sickness as well as death. The author then skillfully introduces the character Sal, Josie’s older sister who died of the same causes.
While Josie is suffering, Klara is constantly trying to find a way to help her. Klara is solar-powered, and collects nourishment from the sun, causing her to form a bond with it. This bond is very apparent throughout the novel and is the thing that Klara thinks will save everything. Kara’s relationship with the sun is similar to that of religion. She constantly has faith that the sun will help everyone power through and throughout the book goes to the neighbor’s barn where she believes the source is.
Overall I’d give the book 3 and a half stars. The beginning was slow start but once it got going was interesting. There are a lot of cliffhangers and it turns into a page-turner. The characters are well-developed and the lessons in the book are great with constant themes of loneliness and companionship. The reason I’d rate it this low though is the ending. The last part of the novel left me and my fellow students wanting more. There were a lot of points brought up that were never concluded. It just felt like there were a lot of loose ends and like there was a lot of unfinished business that could’ve been resolved. There is no peace of mind given to the reader, but besides the ending, I loved the book and don’t regret reading it!
