KLARA AND THE SUN, by Kazuo Ishiguro

   

Literature, Science Fiction -- 4 1/2 stars

In the future, children are kept from loneliness with the help of an AF, an Artificial Friend.  Klara is one of them--egoless, naive, watching the world pass by the window of the store where she is displayed.  Being chosen means she becomes part of the family, a caretaker for a young, ill girl.  Klara may not understand her new world, but she believes she knows how to save small Josie.  The sun keeps Klara alive. Surely, it can do the same for Josie if Klara asks. ----- In a world where power is all and artificial enhancements are thought to be the answer, the character of Klara is rendered with a tenderness that puts the human characters to shame.  The world that Mr. Ishiguro creates is not a completely solid creation; the reader is left to ferret out much of the situational meaning, much as Klara must.  It is a smart choice that pulls the reader inside Klara's world.   A haunting story of pure, selfless love narrated in a voice so innocent it hurts.