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Title: Booker Finalist?
Review: I thought that the simple story of parentless children and their friendships within this institution was touching and the type of thing that Ishiguro writes well, but the story was so unconvincing to me in terms of both the science of cloning and the evil capacity of human nature that I didn't think it was either good science fiction or allegory. In light of this and the page-turning device of unfolding basic information in a much extended, backward sort of way, the novel to me struck only one sustained, tear-jerking note while I waited for the last bits of information to be revealed. It was too removed from reality to be truly important I thought (though many in my book club seemed to heartily believe that harvesting orphan clones organs was certainly in the dark future), and even sappy and self-indulgent in the absence of this real importance. It was a fast enough read that I kept with it to the end, but was left thinking it was quite hack for someone of Ishiguro's reputation.
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