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Study Guide : Never Let Me Go: Form, Structure & Language

Use of Form in Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro chose to write Never Let Me Go in the form of a novel. It was published in 1995 and was later nominated for the Booker Prize. It was a critically successful novel and was made into a film for which Ishiguro wrote the screenplay.

When analysing form in Never Let Me Go you can refer to:

  • the type of text it is
  • the style of writing

Evidence and explanation of the form used

Writing Never Let Me Go as a novel gave Kazuo Ishiguro the opportunity to develop his investigation into the important themes that he wished to discuss, such as identity and nostalgia more...

Use of structure in Never Let Me Go

The novel is centred on the life of the narrator Kathy and her two school friends, Tommy and Ruth. Although other people enter Kathy’s life, such as Chrissie and Rodney, Tommy and Ruth are always there. This is mainly because Kathy’s memories of them are so strong and after Ruth and Tommy begin the donation process, Kathy re-enters their lives becoming firstly Ruth’s carer and then Tommy’s.

The novel is split into three parts:

  • Part One covers chapters one to nine
  • Part Two covers chapters ten to 17
  • Part Three covers chapters 18 to 23   continue reading...

Use of language in Never Let Me Go

The language Kazuo Ishiguro uses in his novel is realistic and reflects the time in which the novel is set (the 1990s). Kathy and her friends speak very much as you would expect young people to speak, although at the same time it is impossible to deny that there is something rather middle class about the language they use and the context of their discussions,  I’d assumed Ruth was something of a chess expert and that she’d be able to teach me the game. After all, Hailsham is perceived as being a rather prestigious school to attend and until the reader knows differently, it could almost be seen as a private boarding school continue reading...

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