My fourth book (well I still have not written the 2nd book review) for the Orbis Terrarum challenge was Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

As you may recall I am choosing 8 books from the Time magazine top 100 novels and reading them over the course of 8 months. The only rule is that each book author is of different nationality. I could not have found a better way to read some excellent work and what a diverse read it has been. So far my reads for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge have been

1. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov – Russia

2. Housekeeping – Marilynne Robinson – USA

3. Wide Sargasso Sea -Jean Rhys – Dominica

4. Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro – Japan

My next read is A House for Mr.Biswas – V.S Naipaul – Trinidad

Now the review,

The cover, the title and most of the book is about romance, a triangular love story between Kathy.H (the narrator), Ruth and Tommy – all students from a British boarding school Hailsham. Hailsham is almost out of any of those pre-teen British series one reads – rolling hills, guardians, friends, swaps, exchanges, games and some secrets. The book flows easily with just hints of suspense thrown in – hints in terms of the future, hints in terms of terms like carers and donors. It makes you wonder what the book is all about.

The story unfolds nearly at the end – the story of clones brought to life for organ donations, their souls, their emotions and love. It is science fiction set in teen world without any science. It is a perfect read for someone who does not want too much scientific terms in sci-fi books (Oh well if I wanted science terms, I would be reading a science text book not a novel – my logic). It is heartbreaking and the more I think about it – sad. It is about justifications and repulsion. It is about acceptance and letting it go.

It made me wonder – how would I react and behave if I knew the person next to me was a clone? I still have no answer but have you thought about it? What would be your reaction?