Jennie Jacques Instagram – #klaraandthesun #kazuoishiguro – just catching up on #bookrecommendations Jan was a cruel month re my health so here’s a hello 👋 to sunshine ☀️ as Feb carries us towards spring! 💛 “Do you believe in the human heart?” The soul? Moreover, could technology replicate it to “continue” the loved ones we lose… A story addressing intense concepts, written with such a calm tone 🧘‍♀️ All which is contrary to the ordinary course of nature makes this novel so gripping. Klara is our protagonist – an “artificial friend” programmed for teenagers. She observes humans (initially) from her shop window 🪟 🤖 until she is purchased by The Mother to be a companion for a young sickly girl called Josie; Josie’s illness is chronic & never named; arguably strikingly similar to #mecfs – a horrific life-limiting “exhaustion” which doesn’t give Josie much, if any, relief… In the novel the illness is supposedly triggered by something called “lifting.” Lifting is an artificial gene 🧬 editing; a fictional process which the kids are put through to make them “smarter.” This comes with certain risks, such as death & “living death” ☠️ aka #chronicillness There’s a “coming of age” love-story between Josie & the boy next door 🚪 called Rick; he’s one of the few teens who hasn’t been “lifted.” The fact Rick hasn’t undergone the lifting process puts a dampener on their potential future together; Rick is not allowed to attend the same college(s) as the “lifted.” Josie & Rick are navigating this. The Mother has lost her eldest daughter & is naturally protective over Josie; so much so that she considers the idea of Klara “continuing” as Josie, if Josie were to die… This is a really interesting topic which I’d have liked to read more on. It’s a strong theme within the story but isn’t necessarily the main idea 💡 Identity, Healing ❤️‍🩹 & Human Nature are the core elements, I’d say. The Sun plays an integral role as it directly charges Klara’s batteries 🔋 ☀️ I personally read the sun to be “hope.” ⛅️ god-like & eventually miraculous ❤️‍🩹 perhaps far-fetched – but poetic, symbolic – beautiful & uplifting. The story delves deeper than my review can offer; have a read!