After the cheery book like The Hogfather of course I would want some lite reading appropriate to the season. None of which has any bearing on why I read Never Let Me Go. This is not a book that deals with pleasant subject matter, it raises uncomfortable questions and details uncomfortable outcomes for the characters. So why not read and finish it in the middle of January?
This book is a strange animal, its had to define as a genre. A drama? Definitely. Sci Fi? Some but not as a main point. Dystopian? Depends on your world view. If anything I would call it alternate history ( however closer to alternate reality as the time period is within 20 years or less.) Needless to say I liked the book. As a broad stroke it is a story about growing up, and what happens to your close friends as you mature. I do not want to ruin the twist, as it is surprising; in both what it is and how the characters react to it. The book is really a study of how people change and how people react to your own change. It seems like a pretty quick read to me. Although the subject matter sounds boring, reading about the minutia of a life from adolescence to adulthood, I found myself at times reading voraciously to reach the next part.
This book was made into a film a few years ago, and I found it to be a good adaptation save for some minor changes to setting. I would recommend to read the book first then see the film. The movie is great, and is faithful to the book. I unfortunately did the reverse so I was denied a reveal of the twist at the pacing that the book tells it. They each compliment the other quite well however.
In the end I would highly recommend this book, however it is not a uplifting tale; it is very much a tale of life, which is sometimes unfair. I would say to read it slowly if possible to let it simmer, and then see the film to finish the portrait in your mind of this world.
Never Let Me Go
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