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Cecile De Forest's avatar

I completely understand where you are coming from but wish I could find the review I wrote on our Booker site that explains why I love Never Let Me Go as much as I do.

Firstly, I loved the simplicity of the language. In the entire book there is only one word that my middle school students, whose first language isn’t English, would understand. Ishiguro did this purposefully.

Brainwashed? Certainly. They believe that they are doing a service and as Madam states, it’s impossible to change people’s minds at the point when the book takes place. Why don’t they commit suicide? Or consider it at all? Because they have been led to believe their lives have value. Their donations make them special. And we all must complete. Most of us don’t know how or when. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy do.

They have strong feelings of love for each other and Ruth feels tremendous guilt for keeping Kathy and Tommy apart. So they have lived, in their minds, fully.

I am a deeply emotional person so I suppose reading the book touched me because naturally it’s a terrible, sad, selfish society that would create a world like this. I am really at a loss for words to explain why I loved Never Let Me Go so much.

What I do understand, however, is why you didn’t. It’s a hard book to love, I suppose. But I did.

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Kenny Miller's avatar

I do admire people with big huge brains AND the ability to communicate that in beautifully written prose. You have a gift Rebecca. I’m so happy you found this space where you could fully express yourself and not be concerned about the censor.

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