'KLARA AND THE SUN' by Kazuo Ishiguro

‘Klara and the Sun’ is the latest book by Kazuo Ishiguro. In this novel, the author clearly demonstrates why he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. Kazuo, born in Japan, but raised in England since the age of five, embodies the qualities of two cultures that have much in common, especially when it comes to their attachment to the past, the awareness of the trauma that comes with disconnecting with one’s origins and history and a disciplined approach to life in general.

In ‘Klara and the Sun’ Ishiguro sets his aim exceptionally high and astoundingly succeeds. His work is currently longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.

So, what makes this book so special? It would be inappropriate for me to discuss the story itself, as that would be a massive spoiler for those who haven’t yet read the book. Yet this much can be said: the author (possibly deliberately) messes with the reader’s mind. Reading ‘Klara and the Sun’ requires an old-fashioned virtue - patience - especially at the beginning of the book. It first appears to be a modern story about a contemporary subject, that of artificial intelligence. However, the narrative slowly but surely drags the reader further and further down into uncharted territory and suddenly a new realm comes into being, one where nothing is as it first appeared, one made of sophisticated symbolism and depth of thought, a long developing meditation from which it becomes impossible to escape.

Ishiguro’s writing remains flowing, but simple throughout, as if to make sure it won’t overshadow the message, because this book, despite the gracefulness and restraint of the prose, is all about the message – a message that is palpably and pressingly important to the author – the answer to the question: ‘what makes us human?’.

It is both ambitious and generous of Ishiguro to gift us an answer, one which inevitably requires the sharing of his most intimate self; it consequently takes just one word to describe his work: perfect. 

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