Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Never Let Me Go gives us three main institutional settings: Hailsham, the Cottages, and the donor recovery centers. Though Kathy spends most of her time in these three locations, the girl can drive...
Narrator Point of View
Kathy tells us her own story, so she's a first-person narrator. She looks back over her life from the perspective of her thirty-one-year-old self, and tries to remember all her most important exper...
Writing Style
Kathy is the kind of narrator you might want to be friends with. She's nice and chatty and good grief does she have a story to tell. Sure, she doesn't always give us all the facts up front. Actuall...
What's Up With the Title?
The phrase "Never Let Me Go" comes from Kathy's favorite Judy Bridgewater song. In the chorus to the song, Judy sings the line "Baby, baby, never let me go" (6.46). Whether this line is about a new...
What's Up With the Ending?
The biggest conundrum of this book may be what on earth happens in the ending. Actually, let's rephrase that: why doesn't anything happen in the ending?If you read this book and were waiting for th...
Tough-o-Meter
Never Let Me Go can seem misleadingly simple. Our easy-going narrator, Kathy, talks to us like we're gossiping with her over tea and biscuits, which is fun and all. But the story as a whole tackles...