(In his haunting and important novel, Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro introduces cloned children who grow up with a single purpose: to donate their organs for the benefit of others. The narrator, Kathy H., takes us on detailed and analytical journey starting in her early days at the Hailsham Boarding School and continuing to the present day. Her recollections are disturbingly flat and unemotional. As we listen to Kathy, we enter a strange world where life has eerie similarities to our own, and yet is very different. That difference is inherent in our very definition of what makes a human being .

Ishiguro poses no ultimate solutions, but asks many questions about the path of scientific progress, its purpose and rationale, as well as its potential choices and consequences. Never Let Me Go explores the nature of the human soul, for example, what it is and whether it is the indispensable key to being human.

The Bookclub-in-a-Box guide considers whether love and compassion for people trumps scientific curiosity and advancement. It explores the various ethical dilemmas facing Kathy and the others, and it looks at the reason Ishiguro tells a futuristic story in the here and now. The guide also reflects on the fascinating link between Ishiguro and Joseph Conrad and investigates how they each perceive the darkness of the human soul and heart.

Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author.

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.