Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Rating: 4/5
Brief Summary: Kathy and her friends attend a boarding school called Havisham, but what is the purpose of this boarding school? Strange whispers from teachers and an unusual woman called Madame arouse suspicion from a few of the students. they are told to be creative and that it is very important for them to submit work into Madame's gallery. But what does this all mean? Follow the life of Kathy and where Havisham takes her.Thoughts in a sentence:
Kathy: A beautifully crafted novel, that leaves you with a sense of wonder and awe.
Bee: TBR
Review:
I am going to talk about this novel in three parts as that is how it is sectioned in the book.
The first section follows Kathy and her friends lives at Havisham. When I first started reading I knew that something was up because they never mentioned their parents or siblings. They never talked about any home apart from the school, however they all appeared to be happy. They acted as normal children/teenagers do at school and never really thought much about their future. The first unusual aspect of this novel was Tommy. He had these temper tantrums that made people slightly fearful of him and class him as weird. When Tommy told Kathy about what Miss Lucy had told him, the novel took on another tone. instead of being cheerful there was now a mystery surrounding the school. The whole way through I wondered 'What is the purpose of madame's gallery?' I like they way the reader grows up with the characters. They know just as little as we do. This could be linked to maturity and the idea that as we get older we understand more about life and the hardship that it can be. Obviously a key part of section one is when Madame comes across Kathy dancing in her room to 'Never Let Me Go'. This was a very emotional scene and one that had the reader captivated yet confused. In my mind I wondered if Madame couldn't have children herself and was pining for a reality that was not hers. I also wondered if madame was Kathy's mother and that she had come to look in on her daughter. Alas neither of these theories were true, but the point is this scene holds a lot of speculation and mystery again for the reader and Kathy.
Section two takes us to the cottages. This section was the one that I saw the most character development in, as they had left their childish ways behind and started to become more mature. One thing that you will find is that they are hooked on sex. Miss Lucy told them that they would never have children as they were born to be donors. They don't have control of their own life so I believe that they liked to have sex because it was something they could control by choosing to do it. They had control over that aspect of their body unlike the donations which they would have to make, willing or not. Bonds were strengthened between characters in this section. All the way through I wanted Kathy to be with Tommy because she was the one he was able to confine in and not Ruth. I think they both knew that they were meant for each other because they fit each other so well. But it was hard for them to recognize these feelings in the midst of sex and Ruth being a constant shadow over them. The trip to Norfolk was one of my favourite parts of the novel and I loved their idea that Norfolk is the lost corner of England, and all your lost possessions will turn up there. When they found the record in Norfolk I think this gave Kathy and Tommy hope. Hope that they will be able to find themselves after they have completed all of their donations, and that whatever comes next they won't always be lost as they can be found in Norfolk.
Section three, by far my favourite, was very emotional. We learn that the purpose of the gallery was to prove to the rest of the world that the 'students' are real people with real emotion. I think this was a very clever twist because the whole way through we assumed it was to prove that they were in love with someone. Their art still holds the idea that it is the key to their souls, however it is used to prove that they actually have souls. I liked how this novel was set in our past because it makes it seem more life like and as if this could really happen. Its like a warning message telling us that no matter how hard you try to distinguish yourself from other people, we are still the same and all equal. Here Kathy finds Tommy in Norfolk even though he was dead and she would soon be completed. Her vision of him coming towards her brought me to tears. I admire Kathy so much because she has witnessed plenty of donors complete, even Ruth and Tommy, so she knows what is in store for her. Yet even at the end she isn't angry with the life she has been given because even though she will die she has made friendships that can never be broken. She has meant something to different people and she has left her mark, maybe not a significant one, but to her that is enough. I think this can relate to our society today because many people feel oppressed. However if Kathy teaches us one thing it is... no matter how hard your life is there will still be people who can see the best in you, and when you think you are lost, they will find you.
Please comment your thoughts and opinions of this book.
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