KLARA and the SUN

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.

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If one can be haunted by a novel one has read, then consider me haunted.

The story keeps revisiting me here and there each day, even though I finished it a couple of weeks ago. I cannot seem to shake it.

The plot revolves around Klara, who is an Artificial Friend. She ends up going home as the companion of a teen girl, Josie, who is quite sick after being "lifted" through some form of genetic engineering. Klara is a devoted friend, and, even though not human, perhaps the most compelling and human character in the novel.

Klara is many things that others in the book are not. She is loyal and loving, curious and caring, subservient and surrendering. She is also, in her own way, quite faithful, with an active imagination and "prayer life" like anyone else around her.

The book raises questions about humanity, objectification, intelligence, hospitality, inclusion, dedication, and tenderness.

Is it science fiction? Yes. Is it literary fiction? Yes. Is it a coming-of-age novel? Yes. And yet it transcends each of these genres. It really is in a category all its own. Highly recommended.