This is a story about care-giving, and sheltering.
Kathy, the main character, reminisces about her childhood at a boarding school called Hailsham. Hailsham and its guardians provided a happy and nurturing environment for its students. Unfortunately, these students, including Kathy’s best friends Ruth and Tommy, were human clones destined for organ donation and early death.
After leaving school, Kathy becomes a “carer,” the second phase of a clone’s life before becoming a “donor.” Kathy finds satisfaction in caring for others, and even cares for Ruth and Tommy before the “completion” of their donations.
Not only does Kathy care for others’ physical needs, she is keenly aware of emotional needs. Kathy repeatedly indulges the exaggerations and fantasies created by Ruth. In fact, Kathy perpetuates half-truths and small lies in order to keep Ruth from becoming upset. Kathy’s treatment of her friend echoes the sheltering environment of Hailsham.
Page 268 contains one of the key passages of the book, where the head of Hailsham speaks to Kathy as an adult: “You see, we were able to give you something, something which even now no one will ever take from you, and we were able to do that principally by sheltering you. . . . Very well, sometimes that meant we kept things from you, lied to you. . . fooled you. But we sheltered you during those years, and we gave you your childhoods. . . You wouldn’t be who you are today if we’d not protected you.”
This passage, and the book as a whole, raises an important question for those of us who are parents, who continually seek the balance between sheltering and letting go. (Note the book’s title.) Should sheltering involve protection from the truth? God is our ultimate shelter (Psalm 46:1-3), and yet God does not lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:3). In fact, Jesus calls himself the Truth (John 14:6). I believe parents are responsible for providing truth on an age-appropriate, child-appropriate basis, without resorting to lies. I also believe we need each others’ help to work this principle out in real life.
Back to the book . . . Ishiguro is a master author. He pieces together an entire relational world, a mosaic of conversations, gestures, expressions, recalled by Kathy in exquisite detail. Nonetheless, there are significant gaps in the practical world. For example, the technicalities of the clone / donor system remain hidden. Perhaps this is the author’s way of sheltering the reader from morbid plot elements (or, perhaps, the scientific realities would have distracted from the relational emphasis).
I should mention that Kathy’s sexual experiences play into the plot of the story. While Ishiguro’s treatment of the subject is not particularly graphic, the story presents having multiple sexual partners as a natural and normal part of growing up. In the interests of appropriate “sheltering,” I do not recommend this book for younger teenagers.
Kathy, the main character, reminisces about her childhood at a boarding school called Hailsham. Hailsham and its guardians provided a happy and nurturing environment for its students. Unfortunately, these students, including Kathy’s best friends Ruth and Tommy, were human clones destined for organ donation and early death.
After leaving school, Kathy becomes a “carer,” the second phase of a clone’s life before becoming a “donor.” Kathy finds satisfaction in caring for others, and even cares for Ruth and Tommy before the “completion” of their donations.
Not only does Kathy care for others’ physical needs, she is keenly aware of emotional needs. Kathy repeatedly indulges the exaggerations and fantasies created by Ruth. In fact, Kathy perpetuates half-truths and small lies in order to keep Ruth from becoming upset. Kathy’s treatment of her friend echoes the sheltering environment of Hailsham.
Page 268 contains one of the key passages of the book, where the head of Hailsham speaks to Kathy as an adult: “You see, we were able to give you something, something which even now no one will ever take from you, and we were able to do that principally by sheltering you. . . . Very well, sometimes that meant we kept things from you, lied to you. . . fooled you. But we sheltered you during those years, and we gave you your childhoods. . . You wouldn’t be who you are today if we’d not protected you.”
This passage, and the book as a whole, raises an important question for those of us who are parents, who continually seek the balance between sheltering and letting go. (Note the book’s title.) Should sheltering involve protection from the truth? God is our ultimate shelter (Psalm 46:1-3), and yet God does not lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:3). In fact, Jesus calls himself the Truth (John 14:6). I believe parents are responsible for providing truth on an age-appropriate, child-appropriate basis, without resorting to lies. I also believe we need each others’ help to work this principle out in real life.
Back to the book . . . Ishiguro is a master author. He pieces together an entire relational world, a mosaic of conversations, gestures, expressions, recalled by Kathy in exquisite detail. Nonetheless, there are significant gaps in the practical world. For example, the technicalities of the clone / donor system remain hidden. Perhaps this is the author’s way of sheltering the reader from morbid plot elements (or, perhaps, the scientific realities would have distracted from the relational emphasis).
I should mention that Kathy’s sexual experiences play into the plot of the story. While Ishiguro’s treatment of the subject is not particularly graphic, the story presents having multiple sexual partners as a natural and normal part of growing up. In the interests of appropriate “sheltering,” I do not recommend this book for younger teenagers.
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