I, Robot

When the Booker Prize longlist was announced last week, only a handful of titles sparked my interest. I grabbed Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (2021) off my teetering stack of books to be read and absorbed this beautifully written novel over the past few evenings. 

The story is told by Artificial Friend (AF) Klara, a highly perceptive, lifelike robot. When we first meet Klara she is in a shop with other AFs. The manager moves stock around the store, giving Klara a turn in the window display where she can observe the passers-by and soak up the rays of the sun. One day Klara is purchased by a woman as a companion for her 14 year old daughter Josie. The girl is critically ill and Klara provides Josie with much needed friendship, while Josie provides Klara with the opportunity to see the outside world. As Josie's illness worsens, Klara becomes convinced that the sun will provide the nutrients needed to counter her condition. 

Klara is a fascinating narrator. She is naive but with a great capacity to observe and learn, discovering the ever-changing moods of a teenager. She takes her cues from those around her, knowing when to give privacy and when to interact. Klara has great faith and spreads her hope for Josie's wellbeing to those around her.

The world in which these characters inhabit is a version of our own, perhaps in the near-future. Ishiguro hints at technological advancements that have allowed robots to displace workers, genetic engineering that sees some children 'lifted' and others left behind, environmental degradation, and the disposable culture in which we replace things as soon as a newer model comes along. He never explicitly describes the world (as the story is told through Klara's eyes) but gives the reader enough nudges to imagine what is happening. 

This is a slender novel, but there are many complex themes running through it posing significant ethical dilemmas for readers to ponder. We meet interesting characters along the way - Josie's unlifted friend Rick, his mother, Josie's absent father, and the strange Mr Capaldi. 

To detail more of the story would give too much away. Suffice it to say, I loved spending time with Klara and was heartbroken when the story ended. I will be thinking about Klara for a long time.