My name is Kathy H. I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer for over eleven years.I very much enjoyed the introduction to this novel. Right away, Ishiguro introduces the story as a first person perspective narrative- thus warning the reader of the bias and emotions that are sure to come. I can tell already I'm going to feel more for Kathy than I did for any character in Brave New World; in fact, I'm positive I'll enjoy this book much more. It seems fairly straightforward, and the first chapter gives a strong look into what course the novel is going to take- a stark contrast to the first chapter of Brave New World.
Anyway, Ishiguro's style of telling the story in a series of flashbacks is a much more natural fit than telling it in chronological order. Kathy values her memories, making it appropriate for her story to be told through her own recollections. This is an interesting style that can be hard to master without sounding cheesy- due to the sentimental nature of memories- or, even worse, uninteresting- due to the lack of dynamic action- but Ishiguro makes it work. One of the main things I've noticed is his ability to make the memories feel real, like Kathy is actually talking to you. She will often return to certain points in her story to add things she's just remembered or to modify her previous statements. This tendency enhances the reality of the story; the way things jump around feels like a real train of thought.
I'm not quite sure what a carer does yet, only that they provide company for donors (which makes me think of organ donors, but that just doesn't seem right).
Until Next Time,
Alysse
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