“Klara and the Sun” is the first novel Ishiguro has published since he won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature which – of course - means that this is one of the publishing events of the year, but given this author's output producing a new novel roughly every five years means it's also coming right on time. I was entranced by his most recent novel “The Buried Giant” which reads like the most psychologically-compelling fable or fantasy tale. Yet, even though I have a high regard for his work, I was initially skeptical of the premise of “Klara and the Sun” which is told from the perspective of an Artificial Friend or AF who at the beginning of the story is waiting on a shop shelf for an adolescent child to purchase her. It sounds similar to the film series Toy Story or perhaps a bit like Pinocchio. This isn't a coincidence since Ishiguro described in a recent interview how he initially conceived of this story as a children's book. Additionally, given that this new novel is also about genetic engineering, the question of what it means to be human and it's set in an unspecified future point means it's also reminiscent of his novel “Never Let Me Go”. But the magic of Ishiguro's writing is that any reservations I had were quickly forgotten as I got into the drama of this suspenseful and moving story.
It's difficult to discuss this book without giving spoilers, but I'm going to do my best to avoid them. This isn't simply a saccharine tale because it's sweetness is also what makes it unsettling as we follow Klara's gradual understanding of the world around her and the expectations placed upon her. She's a naïve, highly perceptive and well-intentioned AF who has no qualms with the purpose she's been designed for: to support, nurture and give unqualified friendship to her child owner. When she is eventually purchased she does exactly that and her loyalty means that she goes to great lengths to be the best companion she can. Her faith in the power of the Sun drives her to perform a charmingly ardent act to help her child and around this time we also learn about the deeper purpose for which she was purchased. This means that these two narrative threads which are light and dark intertwine at almost the same point making the reader feel beguiled as well as horrified. It's a powerful effect which makes it a gripping story as well as one which raises lingering questions about the binding force of love.
Ishiguro is brilliant at withholding information and providing tantalizing details which fully draw the reader into the story. Things are revealed at just the right moment so they blossom into a startling revelation. The fact that we're locked into Klara's perspective as she retrospectively considers these events means our view of this world is filtered through a perilously subjective focus. She is (as one character dismissively calls her) simply a machine so the way she perceives reality isn't how we would. A sometimes surreal effect is produced from the way she processes shapes and makes sense of what's around her. At one point she thinks she's looking at a multi-limbed monster which turns out to be two people passing by each other. It adds to the unsettling effect the author builds in the lead up to understanding what's happening in the immediate reality of this family as well as wider changes concerning the ill-effects of genetic modification and the way this is producing a more classist and divided society. Klara's limited point of view means that (perhaps too conveniently) Ishiguro doesn't need to fully flesh out or delve too deeply into how this dark future is organized or how it's adversely effecting people. It's a very handy method commonly used in sci-fi and, though it left me slightly frustrated wanting to know more about this world, Ishiguro gives enough information to see the logic of how good intentions on both a personal and societal level can go very wrong.
Recently I read Edward Carey's novel “The Swallowed Man” which retells Pinocchio from the perspective of Geppetto when he's trapped in the giant whale. It made me realise how this fairy tale is really about loneliness and a desire for companionship so fierce that a person is willing to delude themselves in order to have a friend or child. Similarly, “Klara and the Sun” delves deeply into this question as Klara herself comes to realise “what was becoming clear to me was the extent to which humans, in their wish to escape loneliness, made manoeuvres that were very complex and hard to fathom”. This is explored in different ways throughout the story. Not only do the child and her mother use Klara as an emotional stand-in, but the child and her friend Rick form a co-created future plan to protect themselves from being overwhelmed by an impending darker reality. The relative bonds people share in the story means that their solitary struggle might be assuaged by friendship or a character might resolutely choose to be alone. As Klara describes to a character named Miss Helen at one point: “Until recently, I didn't think that humans could choose loneliness. That there were sometimes forces more powerful than the wish to avoid loneliness.” These delicate relationships and the way different individuals negotiate the truth that they're willing to admit to themselves and others throughout the story is very moving and left me pondering their deeper implications.
In “Klara and the Sun” Ishiguro demonstrates his considerable ability for telling a riveting tale and creating characters you can't help but fall in love with by following their harrowing struggles. He does this while also engaging with larger issues about technology, the environment and social divisions. It's also hard not to interpret his choice to name a character Melania Housekeeper and what happens to her in the story as a sly commentary on the former First Lady. Although he said in an interview that this wasn't a direct reference and he simply wanted to use a common Eastern European name it's impossible not to make the connection or deny that this must have been on some level intentional. This and other such details add a welcome playful tone to this impressive story which skilfully balances terror with insight and deep-felt heartache.
