In Klara and the Sun, Ishiguro takes us on a compelling but very disorienting journey into the future. The story is narrated by an Artificial Friend – a sentient robot named Klara. Klara has the ability to learn and observe new things, and even reflect on them. But she is also limited in some mysterious ways by her construction. For example when presented with a new space, her mind grids off her field of view into 24 boxes, which seem to help her process new visual information. This is never explained to the reader; just as Klara is trying to decode the human world, the reader must decode the perceptions of Klara.

In this imaginary future America some event has occurred, which has divided our society into the “lifted” and the left behind. We hear humans talk in passing about the bewildering new caste system, but Klara rarely asks questions, or at least the questions we want her to ask.

What actually does it mean to be lifted? Is it a physical process? A medical procedure? A magical intervention? Or is it a more banal way of describing a large scale gifted and talented program? These questions nag at you throughout the book but remain unanswered.

In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, our attention is shifted to the characters’ relationships. Through our robot eyes however, interpersonal life is equally confusing. Is the AF a machine that you put in the trunk of the car, or a person who rides in the front seat? It seems the AF is something in between- not an equal member of the household – present and listening but standing in the corner. One keeps waiting for Klara to express resentment or anger at the inequality, but Klara seems to only exist to serve, and seems totally content with her life.

There are many other mysteries in this novel, but they are better read than explained. I give this book 4👍 out of 5👍.