"When we were new, Rosa and I were mid-store, on the magazines table side, and could see through more than half of the window. So we were able to watch the outside - the office workers hurrying by, the taxis, the runners, the tourists, Beggar Man and his dog, the lower part of the RPO Building. Once we were more settled, Manager allowed us to walk up to the front until we were right behind the window display, and then we could see how tall the RPO Building was. And if we were there at just the right time, we would see the Sun on his journey, crossing between the building tops from our side over to the RPO Building side."
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, 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?
***
This highly original and exceptional read was given to me as a gift for Mother's Day when we celebrated it in March. I was not sure what to expect of it, as I never do with Ishiguro, but I enjoyed it very much.
The unusual narrative is told by Klara who is known throughout the book as an AF (artificial friend). We follow her story from the start of her 'life' in a shop through to her latter days. It provides the reader with an indication as to how a subsequent time could evolve if we fully embrace the use of artificial intelligence in order to provide companionship as well as technological and practical tasks.
Klara has a clear voice throughout the novel and I found her to be an endearing character. Her willingness to learn and understand how the humans around her interact was excellently portrayed. For all of her technological advances she had a naivety that ensured she was a very special protagonist.
I have read other books by Mr. Isiguro and they are all written with a touching understatement and Klara and the Sun is no exception to this. The narrative is tenderly expressed and, thus, was a joy to read.
I highly recommend this book and would welcome your thoughts.
ISBN: 978 0571264879
Publisher: Faber
Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His eight previous works of fiction have earned him many honours around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into over fifty languages and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both made into acclaimed films, have sold over a million copies each in Faber editions.
He was given a knighthood in 2018 for Services to Literature. He also holds the decorations of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japan.
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