Justin's Notes
Sep. 20, 2026
Klara is a kind and loyal AF (Artificial Friend) with a keen sense of observation. She spends her days in the store with the manager and other AFs, observing the world outside the shop windows, waiting for a family to choose her to be their child's friend. One day she meets Josie, a girl who is convinced she will be back to bring Klara home.
This story was quite unique to me, and I loved it. It is a sci-fi story, maybe dystopian or just on the brink of dystopian, that feels a little too close for comfort to reality. Yet, it also doesn't really feel like sci-fi at all. The sci-fi I am used to is largely focused on space and other fictional worlds with some kind of high-stakes problem or mission. This story felt like a conceivable world in the near future, which was both mildly stressful and also really cool. Not cool because of the AI. Anyone who knows me knows how much I despise the existence of AI. But cool because it felt realistic, felt very plausible, while most hard sci-fi still often feels very far in the future. It made the differing views of the humans in the story feel so much more relatable when it comes to those leaning towards and away from the advancements in technology of the current world.
I also just really loved how the characters were written and how they interacted. The point of view being Klara was also interesting, and I very much enjoyed it. Ishiguro really worked to humanize Klara, leaning into the idea of whether AI can have emotion, whether they can feel deeply towards humans. Again, this was slightly unsettling to me because of how AI is advancing in our own world and was mildly conflicting for me because of my disdain towards AI. Yet, I really enjoyed Klara as a character and primarily felt connected to her. I also thought the rest of the characters were interesting, and it was cool to see their growth and development through such different eyes.
I would recommend this book to basically anybody. It is such a pleasant intro into sci-fi that reads more like literary fiction, and I really thought the characters and story were written incredibly well.
