Kathy H, who is just 31, is looking back and
examining the events of her early life, seeking clues and explanations to help
her come to terms with an imminent change to her circumstances.
She tells of her ‘schooldays’ at the
exclusive Hailsham, closeted with others of her kind; their graduation to an
isolated farmhouse; and transition to designated ’careers’. But they are narrated
as if we are already in the know, so it is only gradually we come to realise
there is a disturbing background to this coming of age tale. That their lives
and shadowy existence are part of an otherwise unchanged modern day Britain
adds to the atmosphere of conspiracy and foreboding.
Through the lives of Kathy and her friends,
Ruth and Tommy, we run the gamut of boarding school strife and adolescent angst.
Despite their unusual upbringing, humanity is all too apparent in their actions
and feelings, for what good it may do them. Curiously we see no teenage
rebellion against their pre-ordained destiny.
Ishiguro knows how to portray relationships
from fragments of things said or left unsaid and from small actions done or
omitted, familiar from his “Remains of the Day”. In this work the style is
breathy and conversational, but this creates an authentic voice and delivery
for Kathy who, after all, is a ‘carer’ not a writer.
As the book rolls unevenly on the tension
mounts and the need to know the whole ghastly truth is irresistible; can it possibly
end well for Kathy H and those she has to care for?
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