Reviewing politics
and culture since 1913

Why we can’t let go of Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro’s most popular novel is as relevant today as when it was published 20 years ago.

By Podcast

When it was published in 2005, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go was acclaimed by critics and shortlisted for the Booker Prize

Twenty years on – having been adapted for stage and screen and adopted as a set text for schools – it is Ishiguro’s most read work, and is considered a modern classic.

Why does this profoundly settling book continue to absorb us? And what does it tell us about the role novels play in helping us grapple with the ethical dilemmas created by advances in science and technology?

The critic David Sexton has been re-reading Never Let Me Go and joins Tom Gatti on Culture from the New Statesman to discuss the impact of Ishiguro’s most popular work.

Treat yourself or a friend this Christmas to a New Statesman subscription for just £2

[See also: Kazuo Ishiguro’s everyday dystopia]

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Listen ad-free

Subscribers can listen to all episodes ad-free in the New Statesman app, available on iOS and Android.

Content from our partners
Structural imbalance is the real barrier to NHS reform
Futureproofing cancer care through collaboration
The struggle to keep pace with the rise in cyberattacks