Klara and the Sun

Klara and the Sun is the eighth novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro, published on 2 March 2021. The story is narrated by Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend (AF) designed to be a companion for children. Klara begins her life in a store, where her exceptional observational skills catch the attention of the Manager. She is fascinated by the world outside, particularly the Sun, which she perceives as a life-giving, almost divine force. When she is purchased by a sickly 14-year-old girl named Josie and taken to the countryside, Klara must navigate the complexities of human relationships, including Josie's friendship with the neighbor boy Rick, who has not been genetically 'uplifted' like most children.

The novel slowly reveals a dystopian world where children are genetically modified to enhance their intelligence and social standing, a process that often leaves them with severe health problems. Josie's illness worsens, and Klara becomes determined to save her by enlisting the help of the Sun, whom she believes can heal. As Klara learns more about love, sacrifice, and the lengths parents will go to for their children, she discovers a secret plan that involves her own existence in a way she never imagined. The book explores profound questions about what it means to love and whether an artificial being can truly understand human emotion.

Ishiguro initially conceived Klara and the Sun as his first children's book, and traces of that intention remain in Klara's innocent, child-like perspective. Critics praised the novel for its haunting fable-like quality and its ability to drip-feed information about the world through Klara's limited viewpoint. It was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize and appeared on Barack Obama's summer 2021 reading list. A film adaptation is in development. [edit]