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Kazuo Ishiguro tells us the story of a clique of students living in the congenial atmosphere of Hailsham, an English boarding school far away from the city. Is there something flagrant or collusion happening behind the consonant nature of this school? Are the students of Hailsham different in some sort of way? The author tries to tell it through the eyes of Kathy, who was a schoolgirl who leaves the school after she grows up into a young woman. How will the products of Hailsham face the stark realities of their future? This novel explores hope and hopelessness, love and betrayal simultaneously. The author is also trying to discuss the importance of ethics in science. This novel is a conglomeration of literary fiction, science fiction, and romantic fiction.

What I learned from this book
1) What should we do if things are not going according to our plans in our life?
If things are not going according to our wishes, we should try hard to get things back on track. Even after we try our best, if it is still not going to our wish; then, we should learn to let it go.

"You have to accept that sometimes that's how things happen in this world. People's opinions, their feelings, they go one way, then the other. It just so happens you grew up at a certain point in this process."

"I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart."

2) The importance of solitude
Everyone is so vocal about the problems of loneliness and how loneliness can lead to anxiety and depression. It is indeed an important topic that needs discussion. But most of us are forgetting about the importance of solitude. Solitude is also a vital ingredient to make a person sane, just like companionship.

“The solitude, I've actually grown to quite like... I do like the feeling of getting into my little car, knowing for the next couple of hours I'll have only the roads, the big gray sky and my daydreams for company."

3) The purest form of Love
The author tries to discuss love from multiple angles in this novel. If we try to read between the lines, we can see love from a different angle that we haven't seen anywhere else, which is unique, pristine in its purest form, and has the propensity to touch our hearts and bring tears to our eyes.

“You say you’re sure? Sure that you're in love? How can you know it? You think love is so simple? �

My favourite three lines from this book

"It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to."

"Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don't go along with that. The memories I value most, I don't ever see them fading."

“It might be just some trend that came and went," I said. "But for us, it’s our life.�

What could have been better?
The pace of this novel, especially in the initial part, was a little slow. This is one of those rare novels which slowly grows on you.

Rating
5/5 This is a must-read book for all those who loves to read literary fiction.