KLARA AND THE SUN by Kazuo Ishiguro(US: Alfred A. Knopf; UK:Faber & Faber, 2021) A spoiler-free review.
One of the characters in Sir Kazuo Ishiguro’s eighth novel says “It’s not faith you need. Only rationality.” Yet, while never undermining the importance of pure science, Ishiguro is primarily concerned with how humanity and machines can co-exist healthily.
Although, ‘Klara and the Sun’ will be classified as a work of Science Fiction, he, like Ian McEwan is not fundamentally aiming to write within this specific genre. McEwan’s flawed ‘Machines Like Me’ failed because he introduced elements of political satire into the story and it was also obvious that he had only a superficial interest in exploring the moral dilemmas surrounding Artificial Intelligence. Ishiguro is more disciplined and doesn’t allow himself to be distracted by wider social issues or to stray too far off topic. Continue reading
I used to work for a man who was a stickler for correctness. From handling requests for time off to responding to an official complaint from a member of parliament everything had to be done exactly by the book.
