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Klara and the sun Paperback – January 1, 2022

by Kazuo Ishiguro (Author)

53,253 ratings

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The novel tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

A thrilling feat of world-building, a novel of exquisite tenderness and impeccable restraint, Klara and the Sun is a magnificent achievement, and an international literary event.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ FABER ET FABER
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 057136490X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571364909
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.83 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #490,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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53,253 ratings

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Kazuo Ishiguro

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KAZUO ISHIGURO was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His eight previous works of fiction have earned him many honors around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into over fifty languages, and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both made into acclaimed films, have each sold more than 2 million copies. He was given a knighthood in 2018 for Services to Literature. He also holds the decorations of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from Japan.

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Customers find the book compelling and thought-provoking, with wonderful prose and a moving character development that explores the complexities of the human heart. Moreover, the story highlights empathy and understanding, making it emotionally impactful. However, customers disagree on the pacing, with some finding it slow going at first. Additionally, the book receives mixed reactions regarding its development, with several customers describing it as tedious and under-developed.

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Readability Writing quality Thought provoking Character development Heartwarming Pacing Heartbreaking Development

617 customers mention "Readability"494 positive123 negative

Customers find the book compelling and intriguing, with one customer noting its great verisimilitude and another highlighting its heartwarming narrative about self-determination.

"...The sun is an important element here, as it gives Klara (and other AFs) power and she becomes weak with lack of exposure—it is also a clear metaphor..." Read more

"...KS_ is a fairytale of the modern times, dealing, as any fairytale, with the anxieties of its era: machines taking the place of humans, substitutions..." Read more

"This highly symbolic story is quite different from other tales set in a dystopian future. All my heartstrings have been plucked!..." Read more

"...The story takes place in the future, of course, but that future is not very clearly defined...." Read more

290 customers mention "Writing quality"238 positive52 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its wonderful prose and clean style, with one customer highlighting its first-person narrative approach.

"...is a delicate fairytale quality in this novel that permeates Klara's voice as the narrator...." Read more

"...But the whole book is a series of references. The writing is very clean and you can read the book in a relatively short period of time...." Read more

"...The author’s use of simple language to convey a complicated story was superb. I became absorbed never loosing interest...." Read more

"...Despite its flaws, I was drawn into this story and enjoyed reading it. I was often moved, often searching, often surprised...." Read more

283 customers mention "Thought provoking"236 positive47 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with one review highlighting its deep exploration of existential questions and interesting commentary on society.

"...and she becomes weak with lack of exposure—it is also a clear metaphor for God here, in that it is personified by Klara, and described as giving..." Read more

"...Klara is very intelligent, she notices what is going on in the world around her. All her energy comes from the sun...." Read more

"...It is a study about illness, love, tenderness, faith, all interpreted or acted upon by a being that is not human..." Read more

"...She is genuinely advanced in some areas but rudimentary in others. There is a whiff of consciousness...." Read more

188 customers mention "Character development"146 positive42 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting how it explores the complexities of the human heart, with one customer highlighting the unique perspective of an alien character.

"A novel of unusual nuance…AI as alter ego to the Self! Worthy of several reads! I couldn’t put it down." Read more

"...There are also many thematic parallels, not only about human genetics, and genetic editing, but also in the way beings (be them clones or robots)..." Read more

"It wasn’t till I was near the end that I realized this remarkable character-driven sci-fi saga about an AI robot..." Read more

"...The human characters are not developed in depth, more as a matter of style, I think, than oversight...." Read more

127 customers mention "Heartwarming"114 positive13 negative

Customers find the book emotionally impactful, highlighting its selfless love and empathy, with one customer describing it as a heartfelt story of love and courage.

"...is personified by Klara, and described as giving life saving and healing power, but seemingly at his own discretion when he chooses to help or not..." Read more

"...memories about Never Let Me Go, specially the kind of decency and tenderness that Ishiguro masterfully embeds into the action and reactions of his..." Read more

"...His books are always poignant and sad." Read more

"...another, how technology interferes in our lives, but also shines light on loneliness, parenting, friendship, and mortality...." Read more

97 customers mention "Pacing"61 positive36 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it very moving and pulling them into the story quickly, while others mention it starts slow and takes time to get going.

"...The writing is very clean and you can read the book in a relatively short period of time. Definitely not a slog...." Read more

"...However, the author begins an at first slow descent into madness, and about two thirds of the way through it begins to utterly fall off a cliff...." Read more

"...little information to the reader, making this story heartbreaking and moving...." Read more

"...This greatly enhanced my reading experience. Klara is a remarkable and thought provoking read." Read more

91 customers mention "Heartbreaking"56 positive35 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the emotional content of the book, with some finding it heartbreaking and sad on many levels, while others note it lacks emotional depth.

"...There is a whiff of consciousness...." Read more

"...and faith, the plumbing of philosophic depths in this novel is rather too simplistic...." Read more

"...His books are always poignant and sad." Read more

"...written, and the story was very heartwarming, maybe even tear-producing at the end. Reading along with Klara's emotional journey was very moving...." Read more

44 customers mention "Development"0 positive44 negative

Customers find the book's development unsatisfactory, describing it as tedious, almost nonsensical, and too under-developed.

"...there is some other hidden message beneath that, as her development seems somewhat haphazard, and not shaped in your usual character arc...." Read more

"...of the story, about love and loss and spirituality was mundane and felt lazy ...." Read more

"...On a personal note, the final part (part 6), is particularly challenging...." Read more

"...The human characters in the story are conflicted, complex, and not always rational. Klara is oddly more sensible, and more lovable...." Read more

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Myron Gulseth
OMG
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2025
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A novel of unusual nuance…AI as alter ego to the Self! Worthy of several reads! I couldn’t put it down.

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Trey
What is human, do machines deserve empathy, and is there a God who can help us?
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
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Ishiguro continues his observance of the human condition here as in his other works, this time through the lens of Klara, an "AF/artificial friend" robot that is the narrator who is learning about humans and their behaviors, emotions, and feelings through her service to a family, and in particular, a little girl named Josie who has some unnamed sickness that is deteriorating her health and straining her relationships with her mother and her best friend, the boy next door. There are the social dynamics of children trying to figure things out, similar to "Never Let Me Go," present here in forced socializing meetups, feeling similar to those typically arranged for homeschooled kids (or here as "lifted kids" which are somehow genetically modified for "success" or enhanced characteristics, the risk of which perhaps leading to her sickness). Concepts around what is human and how we should look at or empathize with varying levels of people, genetically modified people, and AI machinery are introduced, but not dictated, so that the reader might further consider how they feel about these topics and entities. The sun is an important element here, as it gives Klara (and other AFs) power and she becomes weak with lack of exposure—it is also a clear metaphor for God here, in that it is personified by Klara, and described as giving life saving and healing power, but seemingly at his own discretion when he chooses to help or not (she has an assumption that he can help the sick Josie, but does not at various times due to some unknown reason ["the lord works in mysterious ways"], and whether or not he does anything to help in the end is left somewhat ambiguous, which I think was a pretty appropriate way to go about it). An endearing tale that opens up some interesting modern topics to further consider. 3.5–4 stars

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IS GENETIC EDITING WRONG
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2023
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This book begins with Klara. Klara is a robot or artificial friend made to look like a human girl. She is in a store with other robots, Rosa, her best friend, and Rex. A young girl, Josie, about fourteen, comes in with her mother. Josie wants to buy the robot, have her come home with her and her mother. Mom doesn't really want to. Josie says she will come back, she does. Then, for a long time, she does not. Josie has health problems, good days, bad days. Then when she does come back, she has to look for Klara, who has been placed in the back of the store. Happily she is found and Josie's mother relents and purchases Klara. Klara is very intelligent, she notices what is going on in the world around her. All her energy comes from the sun. Klara worships the sun like people worship God. She begs the sun to help folks. The sun answers her prayers.

There are some questions that are asked. Can one person take the place of another? There is a brilliant man, Dr. Capaldi, who feels this can be done. Josie's father, Paul Arthur, is angry. He hates Dr. Capuldi.

The story begins sometime in the future, kids own artificial friends, to make them happy, so they won't be lonely. Also, there is a technique used called lifted for kids to make them more intelligent, to be able to do well in life. Is this the right thing to do? The use of this might be making Josie sick. Maybe, maybe not.

The book is set up in a large American city. Josie and her mom live in a large country house in the country. There is a housekeeper, Melania. Klara calls her Melania Housekeeper, Chrissie is called The Mother. Klara is so intelligent, more intelligent than many people. She loves Josie as Josie loves her. Klara promises Josie she will always be here for her. Before she was bought, Klara had never been outside, rode in a car, been out in nature. Now she is learning much about life. Rich, a neighbor boy, is her best friend. His mother, Miss Helen, has a smaller house a bit away. The two are British.

Klara will do anything to make Josie well. There is an unfinished barn, in open country, that is very important. Rich and Josie have been best friends since small childhood.

Dr. Capuldi is an evil man who messes with humanity. Melania Housekeeper worries about Josie. Miss Helen and Chrissie, The Mother, want the best for their children, whether it is good for them or is it what the children want? Does it make them more intelligent and better people?

The story is seen through the eyes of Klara who loves the sun. The sun seems to love her.

This book is somewhat like "Never Let Me Go." Characters are so much like humans, but are not.

Both of these books give much to think about.

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23 people found this helpful

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Carlos Vivanco Pastore
Realmente bueno. Cómo siempre
Reviewed in Spain on November 24, 2024
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Una vez más Kazuo Ishiguro no decepciona. Su inglés es elegante, simple, lleno de sentimientos y detalles. He leído varios de sus trabajos y nunca me ha aburrido ni desencantado. Vale la pena.

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単好本
Provoking endless thinking
Reviewed in Japan on June 5, 2021
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It was an endless thought provoking story. It reminded me of an old Japanese anime entitled “OZ” by Natsumi Itsuki wrote around 1990. In the anime story, a humanoid rescued a man by sacrifice herself. Was such act able to be set as one of primary functionalities for humanoids? If so, it could be said that such humanoid would be a superior being than human… Klara could be damage herself if she lose her inner solution, but she decided to help her friend. Was it love, or a simple primary character of machine? Each humanoid can have different original functionalities, different learning experiences, and consequently to have its specific character like a personality. Are there any difference between human personality and humanoid personality, then? There are too many topics to think and re-think in this book.

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Alexander O Martinez
Good read
Reviewed in Italy on April 6, 2025
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Very good book! Highly recommend

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BookWorm
Beautifully understated, moving and thought-provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2021
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It takes a few years for Kazuo Ishiguro to write each of his novels, in keeping with his restrained, careful style. But they are usually worth waiting for - and this one is especially so. Reading this makes you realise what a deserving winner of various prizes he is - including the Nobel Literature prize. He is the grand master of the old literary adage 'show, don't tell'. Ishiguro almost never explicitly states anything - but you are never in any doubt about what he wants to get across. His writing is so subtle, so clever that the reader discovers everything about the characters and their situation for themselves, in a natural way.

This is particularly unusual in a science fiction novel like 'Klara and the Sun'. Any other author would have needed to explain the concepts, give the bigger picture, construct a history. introduce some technical information. Ishiguro does not. He allows the reader to build up their own picture and knowledge gradually - and without anything being spelt out, I feel I understood everything I needed to. In fact, extra 'factual' information would have got in the way of my appreciation of and absorption in the story. The restraint is really admirable - I don't doubt Ishiguro knew more about the world he wrote about - he isn't missing details for lack of ability to invent them. All too often authors overdo their excitement to show how thoroughly they have researched or imagined something. This is never the case here.

The story is narrated by Klara, a robot who works as an 'artificial friend' for a teenage girl named Josie. It becomes clear that Josie is ill, perhaps terminally so. Klara, who is solar powered, has a near-religious belief in the sun and its ability to heal. So she sets out to beg the sun to cure her owner. Of course, the reader knows that her faith in the sun is based on a series of misunderstandings and aches for poor Klara as she attempts to gain comfort and hope - and becomes increasingly worried as her attempts to fulfil the sun's 'wishes' might lead her into danger.

Klara is an extremely sympathetic and likeable narrator. Although she is a robot, I don't think anyone who read this book would doubt she had feelings and think of her as in some way human. There is nothing clinical about her, and she is full of compassion and empathy. It does make you think about the big questions of what it means to be human, and about how we should treat and interact with artificial intelligences in the future. Is Klara just like a 'vacuum cleaner' as someone describes her, or is she more akin to a person, with rights of her own? Is her intelligence something to be valued and protected in its own right?

Besides the questions about artificial intelligences, there is also an important theme about the potential for genetic modification and enhancement of human beings. The novel's world sees a two tier society, with only children who have had genetic enhancements able to go to university and get well paid work. But the enhancements are not risk free. It's a scenario that could easily play out in the future. Ishiguro doesn't give any answers, he just presents the situation and shows some people affected by it.

The other thing I really liked about Ishiguro's depiction of Klara is something you rarely find in novels about robots/artificial intelligences, and that's her imperfections. For example, Klara often describes seeing things in 'boxes' which you presume is due to delays in interfacing the feeds from her various camera sensors. Sometimes things become jumbled, particularly in bright light. And she struggles to walk on uneven surfaces. These little things give the reader the sense they are genuinely seeing things from the perspective of a different kind of being, and makes Klara all the more believable and (bizarrely) 'human'. Too often robots in sci-fi works are near perfect, with multiple superhuman abilities. The reality is probably much closer to Klara - extraordinary, but still not quite like a human and with certain imperfections/differences.

Ultimately this is a very thought provoking and beautifully written novel that at its heart is about love and compassion. Klara's touching and irrational faith in the sun and its ability to heal the ailing Josie drive the narrative and provide a tear-jerking emotional core to the story. I am certain that this will be remembered as one of Ishiguro's finest and most interesting novels.

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Danger Mouse
A beautiful and poignant dystopian novel
Reviewed in Australia on July 26, 2021
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Klara and the Sun is the eighth novel of this very accomplished Nobel Prize and Booker Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. Like most of his other novels he conjures the trick of using deceptively simple language to overlay a deeper and richer meaning. Often the little details left out allow the reader speculate beyond what is told.

The novel holds true to the authors belief that he has secretly re-written the same story. In this idea, the novel is arguably most similar to his novel “Never let me go” that also mused upon what it is to be not quite human. However in this novel, genetic clones raised to harvest organs for medical treatments is replaced with artificial intelligence or what the book calls AFs.

Klara, our narrator, is an AF (Artificial Friend) designed to give company to lonely children in an isolated, polluted and angst ridden future. Through Klara’s keen perception the world in the novel gradually reveals itself. Children are “lifted” implying that they are genetically altered to improve their aptitude and chance of success in life. Classes are divided between the genetic haves and have not and even this lifting process is not without potentially fatal consequences.

Although the story is slow paced, the reveals are well worth while and Klara’s endearing and innocent observations of the world create a beautiful and poignant foil, juxtaposed against a grim and sinister reality that lurks just below the surface.

Like “Never let me go” this feels like a YA dystopian sci-fi novel but is so much more. Only a truly impressive author could pull this off.

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Great book! You will fall in love with Klara ❤️

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5.0 out of 5 stars OMG

4.0 out of 5 stars What is human, do machines deserve empathy, and is there a God who can help us?

5.0 out of 5 stars IS GENETIC EDITING WRONG

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Realmente bueno. Cómo siempre

5.0 out of 5 stars Provoking endless thinking

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully understated, moving and thought-provoking

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and poignant dystopian novel

OMG

What is human, do machines deserve empathy, and is there a God who can help us?

IS GENETIC EDITING WRONG

Realmente bueno. Cómo siempre

Provoking endless thinking

Good read

Beautifully understated, moving and thought-provoking

A beautiful and poignant dystopian novel