Klara and the Sun
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
"From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?"
The main character, Klara, is an artificially intelligent robot called an "Artifical Friend" so she doesn't eat or drink, which made coming up with a pairing a bit more challenging. I thought about doing some sort of drink that was reminiscent of the sun since she is solar powered but, thankfully, her companions are human and require sustenance!
"After we returned to the house, and Josie had put away her padded jacket, Melania Housekeeper made her a yogurt drink, and the two of us sat together at the island while she sipped it through a straw."
Yogurt drink, huh? I think smoothie sounds more appetizing. Call it what you want, but I chose to make this Strawberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie from Taste of Home. It's so easy to make and you may already have most of the ingredients on hand.
Speaking of easy to make, this next snack is delicious and requires no recipe at all!
"He looked into the dish and chose a chocolate wrapped in shiny green paper."
A quick Google search resulted in a selection of chocolates that come in green wrappers. Dove Promises, Lindor Truffles, and Ghiradelli Squares are widely available and have green packaging options.
Klara and the Sun
★★☆☆☆
I hate rating books poorly, but I rate my books based on my personal enjoyment and unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. I don't regret picking it up and I will say there are several thought-provoking concepts in this book, but neither the characters nor the storyline connected with me. I think the only character that I liked was Klara. I take that back; I also liked Melania Housekeeper and enjoyed all of her interactions with Klara.
I've read a few articles and reviews on how Ishiguro is so great at creating dystopian societies, but I feel like I was left with an idea of the society he writes of but not the understanding of it. I realize that the author's intent is to let the reader's imagination come up with their own conclusions, but I guess I prefer a bit more of a concrete concept.
In a perfect world, Klara and the Sun would earn an additional star for including smoothies and chocolate. Alas, we cannot rate solely on snack quality.
Until next time, happy reading!
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