All fiction is metaphor. Science fiction is metaphor. What sets it apart from older forms of
fiction seems to be its use of new metaphors…science, all the sciences, and
technology….The future, in fiction, is a metaphor. –Ursula K.
LeGuin
Despite being a subtle, ‘literary’
work from the Booker Prize-Winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go is a book for young people. Even, dare I say, Young Adults (though I
define Young Adults as literally just that—young
adults, teenagers, those about to be adults, not 8-12 year olds, as some
dumbass agent once claimed). Young adults should read this book, even if they
don’t quite understand it, for three important reasons:
- It shows the relevance of science fiction as
a metaphor for modern life (instead of mindless escapism)
- It shows that prose can be as supple and
transformative as poetry
- It discusses the most powerful theme in all literature: what makes us human, and what the purpose of a human life truly is
