Book of the Week

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Recommended by Kirin Bhatnagar 

‘Do you believe in the human heart? I don’t simply mean the organ, obviously. I’m speaking in the poetic sense. The human heart. Do you think that there is such a thing? Something that makes each of us special and individual?’. – The Father, Klara and the Sun

Kazuo Ishiguro is notable for being a recipient of the Nobel prize for literature: his latest book, Klara and the Sun, is set in a world not far in the future, where gene editing to improve the population is normal, and is told through the eyes of Klara, a so-called robotic ‘artificial friend (AF)’ that operates via solar power. The goal of these AFs is to fill the role of best friend for kids over the course of their childhood. Klara, unlike the other AFs, is extremely observant and sensitive to her surroundings, and longs to see the outside world. One day, a girl named Josie walks into the store and chooses Klara to be her AF. However, as Klara soon finds out, reality isn’t as sweet as stories make it out to be.

I found this book very interesting and enjoyable to read. Riddled with plot twists and a gripping plot line, this book was very thought-provoking, posing questions which, while not being the simplest to answer, were always very interesting to think about and relevant in today’s time. One of the things that shocked me was how human the Klara seemed, something which subsequently made me ponder on the true nature of being authentically human. Another factor which added to the overall effect was the fact that the world described in this book was very similar to our own present-day reality, and the technology described was also within the boundaries of our current scientific capability. Lastly, the ending of the book was also noteworthy as, contrasting as it sounds, it was both happy and sad at the same time.

Kazuo Ishiguro, accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature

In conclusion, Klara and the Sun was a very stimulating and enjoyable read, relevant in today’s society, and in my opinion, a very capable winner of the Nobel prize.