by Kazuo Ishiguro

Klara is an Artificial Friend, a robotic humanoid that thinks and feels, intended as a companion to a lucky child. Klara and the Sun follows her journey from the AF store into the home of Josie, the child who chose her. Though Josie has an illness that often tires her out, she starts out having at least as many good days as not. As her health begins to decline, Klara sets out on a quest to convince a powerful being to cure her. Throughout the story, the author effectively guides readers to make biased assumptions about the characters and plot. What results can sometimes surprise or trigger emotions in the reader, but also cultivates a nuanced discussion within the narrative. Ishiguro examines what, if anything, makes humans special, setting us apart from thinking machines, ultimately in a commentary about how and why we divide amongst ourselves and oppress each other.

originally published in The Walleye, August 2021