Kazuo Ishiguro represents a unique breed of authors, the kind capable of thinking outside any box imposed by genres or expectations. In his first novel since winning the Nobel prize in Literature, titled Klara and the Sun, he tells the story of a solar-powered artificial intelligence companion and all learns during its life amidst a dysfunctional family.
Kazuo Ishiguro Creates the Perfect Machine
The topic of artificial intelligence has captured our undivided attention since it was first proposed, carrying with it the potential for immense progress as well as terror. While in the real world we're still not much closer to creating a true artificial intelligence as we see it in fiction, it still doesn't stop authors like Kazuo Ishiguro from taking a gander at where it could lead, as he did in his novel Klara and the Sun.
The novel is presented as a sort of memoir, told from the perspective of a solar-powered artificial intelligence companion, Klara, who begins her life in the store. She is doted with incredible powers of observation, and spends her time examining the people who come into the store as well as those passing on the street, drawing her own conclusions on human beings.
She even experiences the desire to be finally chosen by someone, to be bought and brought into a home to fulfill the purpose of her existence. One day, such an opportunity finally rears its head, and she finds herself amidst a family which, in some ways, seems to function contrary to her expectations according to her own knowledge of life.
More precisely, she has been bought to serve as a companion for the fragile daughter of a shattered family, living in a community under a state of lock-down. Kazuo Ishiguro stated he wrote this book before the pandemic, so it's worth noting it originally wasn't an attempt to mirror our present situation, though it seems to have ended up as such.
Klara was programmed to enrich the world around her through acts of kindness and compassion, and in the process reflects on fundamental questions about the nature of our existence, the existence of the soul, and many meanings love can have.
Reasonable Speculations on the Future in Klara and the Sun
Before we look at the book any further, I feel like it's important to drive home a specific point: the book is not structured like the vast majority of its peers, especially in the more popular genres. While most novels have concrete end-goals, factors driving the characters forward and visible plot progression, Klara and the Sun takes a detour from all these annoying conventions.
It's structured more like a slice-of-life memoir by Klara herself, and I think for most people it will take a bit of time to get used to this format, unless of course you're already familiar with this fairly niche genre. Nevertheless, I do think it's worth making it past the initial hurdles if there are any, for this story has many unique offerings of its own.
The first of these offerings is the world built by Kazuo Ishiguro, obviously (to me, at least) looking like a logical extension of our own real world, with the focus being on the impact working artificial intelligence could have on society at large.
Klara is an excellent observer and narrator for this purpose, noting the smallest and most curious details while offering the benefit of seeing them through a different scope: the mind of an artificial intelligence unit. Even though we are anchored to a single point of view for the whole thing, we are nevertheless given a picture of the future as complete as you'd find in any great science-fiction novel.
The most striking part about Ishiguro's depiction of the near-future is just how truthful and possible it feels, at times giving me the impression I was looking through a crystal ball. His take on racial and class problems as well as the form they could take in the near-future certainly have me wondering if we'll ever see an end to them.
Slice of Robotic Life
If we, once again, compare to a more average type of dystopian fiction novel, we'll find not too many things actually happen in Klara and the Sun, at least in the classical sense of the idea. There aren't really any thrills or mind-blowing twists promising to leave you wide-eyed, and yet, it still very much feels like a page-turner.
The key to creating this feeling, I believe, was the interest which the author managed to generate for the characters, especially our protagonist who is surprisingly easy to relate to. While Klara can indeed mimic humanity, she is still a robot, and I expected having a difficult time getting on the same wavelength as her, but it wasn't the case one bit.
Her way of looking at things certainly never feels quite human, but her observations are not only always understandable, and they pushed me to rethink my own take on certain subjects. After all, the mind of a robot isn't clouded by human factors, and might be able to peer past veils we're all inherently victims of.
Speaking of a robotic mind, Ishiguro also takes a shot at trying to explore this side of the equation, trying to see what life would be like from the perspective of a monotheistic AI who sees the sun as her God. While I can't personally vouch for how a computer sees the world, it certainly adds an interesting layer of thoughts to compare the human perspective against.
I would easily venture to say this is the type of novel which deserves to be read time and time again, with there being many subtleties which only show themselves upon closer examination. There's a fair amount of reading between the lines as well, to the point where I can't even confidently say there were any unresolved plot points; I might have simply missed their resolution.
The Final Verdict
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro is a unique piece of dystopian fiction, having its own original voice and approach to telling a story revolving around the life of an AI companion. It's filled with food for thought from start to finish, and is the kind of book which can be read time and time again, never feeling the same.
If you're looking for a profoundly thought-provoking work of speculative fiction revolving around artificial intelligence, then I strongly suggest you give this book the attention it truly deserves.
 | Kazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro is a British novelist born in Japan. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kent, as well as a Master’s from the University of East Anglia in creative writing. He is a widely-celebrated author, having been nominated for the Man Booker Prize four times, and having earned the award in 1989 for The Remains of the Day. |
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