The core story of this book is one of love, pain and sacrifice.

During the story you are presented with heartwrenching moments. The main character, Klara, is an observer to these moments most of the time; rarely does she find herself as the main character. Usually I find this annoying but Ishiguro uses Klara’s nature to observe these moments in fascinating detail and extract clever, witty and sometimes painful observations. The side characters feel incredibly fleshed out and real, which allows the story to flow through them.

I occasionally read books and forget the story soon afterwards, or perhaps I feel more excited to read my next book than to read the current one; none of that is true with this book. It’s a rare find: a gripping plot, characters that feel painfully real and a fascinating setting; all woven together by a master of his craft.