The premise that our kids will have artificial friends and lead dysfunctional social lives isn’t really enough. Klara and the Sun feels like a science fiction novel written in the 1960s, with a poor imagination of how 2020 might look. I don’t know what happens to the world in dystopian times but I imagine in any era if you put a collection of young, attractive dolls in a shop who are programmed to make their owner happy in every possible way your customer base wont be mums shopping for a companion for their daughter. These AFs are like Siri stepping out of the box to perform physical services, though only once is there a mention of unkind treatment and no mention of sex. She is described by another character as an ‘ironing board’, which sums up her personality pretty well. But whereas in Never Let Me Go I care deeply for the plight of the created beings, and with Klara I felt nothing. It is the story of an AF (Artificial Friend) manufactured to babysit lonely kids - kind of similar to Never Let Me Go where clones (with feelings!) are bred to serve as spare parts. Sadly, I found Klara and the Sun - seems almost sacrilegious to say so - boring. His previous: The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go are wonderful books, full of insight and character that leave you thinking deep philosophical thoughts and spark great conversations. I was so excited when I saw the new Ishiguro on the bookshelf.
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