NeverLetMeGoIt isn't obvious until well into Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro that this is a story of a dystopian society. Ishiguro drops hints throughout the story, slowly revealing the situation in which the characters find themselves. Words like "donations", "Possible", and "Completion" are introduced, and we know they have some mysterious meaning, but are not told that meaning until much later.

Kathy H is a 31-year-old “Carer” looking back on her life - particularly her time at Hailsham - a boarding school in rural England. Life is good at Hailsham, but the students are secluded and are given almost no knowledge of the outside world, other than being told they will someday have a special place in it.

Everyone has a name like "Kathy H" or "Tommy D". At first, I thought this was a literary device, with the author pretending to protect identities; but, on reflection, I think the students were not given last names one more way to dehumanize them.

Never Let Me Go is a story of false hope; of what it means to be human and to have a soul; and of how much control each of us has over our destiny. It is told in a believable manner in a world not very different from ours and referencing technology that does not sound far-fetched.

It is a dystopian nightmare, disguised as a coming-of-age story.