“We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.”
Up until 88% of this book, the reader feels, in spite of some almost grudgingly revealed details, that she is getting a raw deal, just as the characters here do. This, while by the time, the most important last meeting with madame and Ms. Emily happens, that these "poor dears", brought in to this world to serve as spares is clear to the reader. Yet, the reader is only having a much detailed account of the rather monotonous, and to be honest, uninteresting, life of these young people - Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, in particular. Luckily for me, I was on an audiobook, and as such I didn't suffer from a boredom that could've delayed the completion of this book - this intentionally colourless narration, which I admit, the author has aptly designed with so much thought, and skill, is a portrayal of the empathy that the author appears to have been sensitive to - of his make believe characters. In essence, I guess Ishiguro has lived with these characters, to make their account so convincing.
“The problem, as I see it, is that you've been told and not told. You've been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.”
The narration style, the slow life, the detail which we wonder why have to live through, is part of the large scheme, that the author has so thoughtfully built. This is the first book by this author I read - and some of my reader friends, advised against starting with this particular book. But, I think I can fully appreciate the genius of the man behind this book. I can appreciate this novel like a well sculptured Buddha statute, among ancient ruins. Not having the passion that we expect from carnal figure - yet, having just enough detail to reveal what the author so empathically wants to emphasise on. True, he doesn't elaborate on the technical details - that a dystopian work like 1984 does. No, that's not Ishiguro's charge here. His focus is on the empathy towards such a people, as he had designed here. Brought to this world to serve a purpose - the ugliness of which, Hailsham and Ms. Emily tries to minimise with some budgeted politically correct facade. Ms. Emily concedes this point, in her polite way.
“I can see ... that it might look as though you are simply pawns in a game. It can certainly be looked at like that. But think of it. You were lucky pawns. There was a certain climate and now it’s gone. You have to accept that sometimes that’s how things happen in this world.”
I think there's a subtle word play here on the name of the place too - "Hail" the Sham, for it tries to cover the monstrosity. Treat them as proper humans - until they aren't. Just like how optimization shows our "act" of relative compassion towards an ox at the abattoir.
We can extend this to the real world to, as one character wonders;
“What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save"
We can even extend this to all the butchery in the meat industry, that is taking place around the world, to serve us. Up until very recently the western world, in particular conveniently "thought" that animal life was dispensable. Certain theistic religions were fundamental in creating this convenience. Other religions, while accepting that all live beings value their life, resorted to a mental concession that as long as you don't take part in the killing, it has no bearing in your karma - admittedly, another convenient fact. But 20th century, saw that man fight bigotry of many scales - colored, ethnic, religious, sex. I think it is just a matter of time, before there is a cultural pressure against the killing of animals for meat. The vegan movement is building up in strength daily, and I am first hand witness to my kids having subtle peer pressure towards veganism in schools. While am not glad of this trend, I have to admit that this is, in the final analysis, the correct position. Just as those in the real world of this book "conveniently" forgot these donors, and kept the "spare part carriers" in the shadows, we too have been doing a similar omission in terms of meat trade. ( Am not a vegan - I love my meat, and don't plan on becoming a vegan, or even a vegetarian - but I think I have to admit to the fact that my obliviousness is a facade of convenience.)
Rating - ****
Nominee for Man Booker award 2005
Genre - Dystopian Science Fiction
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