The Unspoken Words that Say the Most

  Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro examines the boundaries of friendship and love, and invites readers to analyze how far the bonds of nostalgic connections will stretch before breaking. The novel is narrated by Kathy who reflects on her many memories of her times at Hailsham, the Cottage, and the world beyond. Since Kathy relies on her memory to tell the tale, she acts as an unreliable narrator, and typically leaves readers with her interpretations of interactions which may or may not accurately reflect the actual sentiments of her peers. Typically, this kind of narration would lead readers to question the validity of what is presented to have happened, especially since she makes extreme assumptions about others thoughts and feelings. However, Kathy’s interpretations lead logically along with the events of the story and the actions of her peers, which affirms that a special connection exists between the former Hailsham students. 

Kathy and Ruth have a rollercoaster of a friendship and their interactions are always accompanied by Kathy’s assumptions of Ruth’s thoughts and emotions, which in a way displays the depth of their connection and the reason they always find their way back to each other. In their times at Hailsham many of their squabbles are marked by a seemingly mutual understanding of their true feelings towards each other. Readers begin to see their proximity through ordeals such as the pencil case scandal, where Kathy has a heightened sensitivity to Ruth’s feelings and is able to recognize why Ruth feels the need to lie in the way she does. This runs throughout the entire novel, and is a defining feature of their times at Hailsham, the Cottages, and eventually the donation center. Kathy shows this by attributing feelings to Ruth that are then affirmed by whatever actions come next. For example, after a fight with Ruth, Kathy says, “we were both of us by then acutely aware of something we’d not yet mentioned, and I think we both sensed there’d be something wrong about us parting like that," and this thought preludes their continued interaction (211). Kathy’s detail regarding Ruth’s thoughts grows throughout the novel, and reaches its highest point towards Ruth’s completion. When Kathy was in the car with Ruth she glanced over at her after a comment about a poster and was able to tell that “there was no anger in her eyes…there was even a sort of hope, I thought, that when the poster appeared, it would be perfectly innocuous–something that reminded us of Hailsham” (229). Kathy claims that she is able to see all of these emotions in the faces of people, but this is augmented by the close connection they all have through being Hailsham students. 

Kathy’s interpretations of her peers' feelings is the ultimate clue that they all have an unspoken bond through their connection to Hailsham and their shared fate. Her predictions are affirmed through the way her peers interact, and add more credibility to her unreliable narration.