Bright Summaries - Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

Our novel is set in a parallel version of the England of the late 1990s. Our narrator and protagonist, Kathy H, is a 31-year-old woman who lives in a world in which some human beings are cloned for the purpose of donating their organs. Kathy is one such donor. However, at the opening point of the story she is not yet a donor but a carer, meaning that she is a sort of donor guardian, driving the donors to various medical facilities and taking care of them following their operations. After a number of operations the donors die, or complete, as it is termed.

Kathy delves into her past, and she begins by narrating detailed memories of her upbringing at an institution called Hailsham, which is located in an unnamed part of the English countryside. At first Hailsham appears to be a normal institution: Kathy and her friends gossip, play sports, have classes and make art. However, as Kathys description progresses we find that Hailsham is home to some curious rules and customs. One such custom is the so-called Exchanges that take place there. The Exchanges are a sort trade exhibition in which the students present pieces of art that they have created and are subsequently able to purchase pieces of art that their fellow classmates have produced. Due to these Exchanges, the emphasis on producing art weighs heavily on the students of Hailsham. For this reason, when one of Kathys teachers or guardians named Miss Lucy tells her close friend Tommy that it does not matter whether or not he is creative enough to produce art for these exhibitions, both Tommy and Kathy are left in a state of bafflement.

This is the first in the series of strange occurrences that mark Kathys memory of her time spent at Hailsham. The next curious incident revolves around a mysterious character known at this point only as Madame. Madame is one of the directors of the institution but will only visit a couple of times a year for the sole purpose of selecting the finest pieces of art exhibited in the Exchanges and putting them into her Gallery. Alongside the rarity of her visits, Madame is a mysterious figure because, unlike the other guardians who interact and engage with the students, she is outwardly fearful of them.

In contrast to the Exchanges, where the students can only walk away with things created by their peers, Hailsham also hosts Sales, where the students are given the chance to purchase objects that come from the outside world, such as clothes, toys and music. At one of these events, Kathy buys a cassette tape of Judy Bridgewater, with a song titled Never Let Me Go . She is fond of the song and listens to it while slowly swaying to the rhythm as she holds an imaginary baby tightly to her chest. Kathy creates this fantasy on the basis that neither her nor any of the donors in the donations programme are permitted to have children. As Kathy plays out her make-believe fantasy she is spotted by Madame, who freezes in the doorway to watch her, and then begins to sob.

Although the notion of having children is entirely unthinkable to the Hailsham students, they do fantasise about possible dream futures, such as becoming Hollywood actors. On one of these occasions, Kathy recounts how Miss Lucy disabuses the students of that dream. She makes clear that the Hailsham students are brought into this world for the sole purpose of donating their vital organs. Their future has been decided. Part One finishes with the notice that Miss Lucy has been dismissed from Hailsham and will not return.

When Kathy reaches the age of 15, she leaves Hailsham for another institution: an old converted farmhouse named the Cottages. Kathys closest friends Ruth and Tommy accompany her to the Cottages, and it is here that the relationship between the three of them suffers regular highs and lows. Ruth tries to impress the older veteran students at the Cottages by imitating their behaviour, while Kathy explores her sexual curiosity, seeking out available pornographic magazines in her free time.

At this point, two of the veterans claim that on a trip in Norfolk they saw a possible for Ruth, meaning the person from whom a particular student was cloned. Tommy, Ruth, Kathy and two veterans decide to investigate this possible and undertake their own excursion to Norfolk. They enjoy their trip as they delight in strolling through the toys and cosmetics of a Woolworths store and contemplating the peaceful paintings in a nearby art gallery. However, this joy is overshadowed by their disappointment at confirming that Ruths possible is most certainly not her clone model. Ruths disappointment turns to anger and she lashes out at the others in frustration, asking why they would even pursue this possible when they know that they are cloned from the trash of society: prostitutes, beggars and convicts.

Back at the Cottages, Tommy broods over a rumour which claims that if two donors prove they are truly in love, then they are able to defer their donations for up to three years and can thus live happily in each others company for that time. He theorises that this is why Madames Gallery exists: to be able to confirm through two students artwork that their souls are aligned for love. To be able to qualify for this deferral, Tommy begins producing drawings, which Ruth humiliates him for. The friendship between Ruth, Tommy and Kathy unravels as they graduate from the Cottages to become carers and donors.