Klara and the Sun

klara and the sun is a strangely polarizing book, but one that i thoroughly loved. also one that i think i'll be mulling over for a long time.
the ending. oh my god

the ending only makes sense for me at least, in one way. if josie died, and is replaced with the doll. otherwise, it's a million times more depressing.


i think i'm going to cry
good job mr ishiguro


anyways
i like rick!
all the characters are great.
they have all the traits commonly attributed to humanity: envy, anger, deception to name a few, as well as some more positive ones. rick, helen, josie's parents, josie, and of course klara all act based on their love for (some of) each other. klara and the sun has many themes, some of which probably flew right over my head. but there is no doubt in my mind that love, and the love of the people around you, is the main focus.
it's interesting how klara seems to be the only character interested in pollution and climate change. ishiguro's vision of the future is obviously inspired by many aspects of ours; the prejudice towards the “unlifted” and AFs being a big one. the apathy towards the climate by everyone but klara is just depressing. lots of stuff on the human condition too of course
going by my interpretation of it, the book is alternatively optimistic and pessimistic. for one, the ending is so depressing. the manager looking out at the construction crane is probably symbolic for the world starting another cycle now that the AFs are gone. the world is constantly changing, and sometimes the best things are left abandoned. but love? love remains eternal.

rick basically reinforces this at the end, but it's visible in much of the novel. this makes the ending just a bit less sad but my god is that ending sad

god is this review cheesy, but this is a really poignant novel.
gotta read something else by ishiguro, this was a great introduction to him though.