NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro, the book and the movie [Teaser] - Book Riot - The Podcast

Summary4 min read

Book Riot - The Podcast: "NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro, the Book and the Movie [Teaser]"
Release Date: April 22, 2025

Introduction to the Episode

In this teaser episode of Book Riot - The Podcast, hosts Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Shinsky provide a sneak peek into their upcoming deep dive on Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed novel, Never Let Me Go, and its subsequent film adaptation. The conversation sets the stage for an in-depth analysis available in their premium Patreon content.

Exploring Adaptation Nation

Rebecca Schinsky initiates the discussion by clarifying the purpose behind their Patreon-exclusive episodes:

"[...] it's not accurate to say that we do the Patreon episodes just to have some place to put Adaptation Nation. But it's also not."
[00:23]

Amanda Nelson adds that these episodes serve as a creative playground for both listeners and the hosts:

"One of the reasons [...] this exists for both listeners and for us to have a playground. And what better playground [...] than getting to talk about movies."
[00:35]

The hosts reminisce about their previous project, Annotated, describing it humorously as a "playground inside of a chicken processing factory," highlighting the intense effort behind their creative endeavors.

Delving into "Never Let Me Go"

Transitioning to the main topic, Rebecca Schinsky outlines the focus of the upcoming premium content:

"We do need to talk about a lot of the aesthetic choices in the movie, but we're going to start with the book. We're talking about the book and movie of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. [...] The director, Mark Romanek, is not a name. [...] he's a lot of music videos."
[01:52 - 02:35]

Amanda Nelson reflects on Romanek's diverse portfolio, which predominantly includes music videos for major artists like Beyoncé and Madonna, before venturing into film:

"His resume is a wild poo poo platter of music videos."
[02:25]
"He's done Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, U2, Madonna. And then this is kind of a very weird outlier."
[02:31]

The hosts express curiosity about Romanek's transition from music videos to adapting a literary work, acknowledging the director's broad range and the intriguing choice of adapting Never Let Me Go.

Personal Reflections on the Book

Rebecca Schinsky shares her personal connection to the novel, considering it one of her most memorable reading experiences:

"I think this is a candidate to whittle down from [...] a very distinct memory of reading it. Very distinct sense memory of what it felt like to read it."
[04:35]

Amanda Nelson recounts her initial encounter with the book, highlighting its subtle tension and underlying sinister themes:

"I remember just the deep quiet of the writing and then that lurking sinister feeling [...] something dark is happening. And he's unfurling it intentionally, really slowly."
[05:15]

She draws parallels between the book and classic science fiction reveals, such as in Soylent Green, emphasizing Ishiguro's mastery in blending literary depth with speculative elements:

"It's the not about that. It's so quiet. [...] it's hard to pitch [...] you don't want to give it away."
[07:30 - 08:24]

Challenges in Adaptation

The hosts discuss the complexities involved in adapting Never Let Me Go from page to screen, particularly the delicate balance of preserving the book’s introspective narrative while translating its speculative aspects visually.

Rebecca Schinsky points out the difficulty in convincing new audiences to engage with the material without revealing key plot elements:

"It's a hard book to pitch. Like, why would I try to convince someone to read [...] how do you convey that and you [...] don't want to give it away."
[08:24]

Conclusion and Teaser for Premium Content

As the episode wraps up, Amanda Nelson and Rebecca Schinsky invite listeners to join their Patreon community to access the full, uncut discussion. The teaser hints at a comprehensive exploration of both the literary and cinematic dimensions of Never Let Me Go, promising insights into thematic elements, character development, and directorial choices.

"Thanks so much for listening. Join us @patreon.com bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content."
[08:24]

Notable Quotes

Rebecca Schinsky: "It's a hard book to pitch. Like, why would I try to convince someone to read [...] how do you convey that and you [...] don't want to give it away."
[08:24]
Amanda Nelson: "I remember just the deep quiet of the writing and then that lurking sinister feeling [...] something dark is happening."
[05:15]
Rebecca Schinsky: "His resume is a wild poo poo platter of music videos."
[02:25]

Final Thoughts

This teaser episode effectively sets the stage for a deeper exploration of Never Let Me Go in Book Riot’s premium content. Listeners are left anticipating a nuanced discussion that bridges the gap between literature and film, enriched by the hosts' personal insights and expertise in book adaptations.

For the complete analysis and more in-depth discussions, join Book Riot’s Patreon community at patreon.com/bookriotpodcast.

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Transcript33 lines

[00:00]
Amanda Nelson
Foreign. You're listening to a teaser for Book Riot Podcast premium content. If you want to hear the rest, join us@patreon.com bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month, get access to our full library of premium content in addition to receiving early ad free access to the regular episodes you hear in the show. Here we go.
[00:23]
Rebecca Schinsky
You know, it's not accurate, Rebecca, to say that we do the Patreon episodes just to have some place to put adaptation nations. But it's also not.
[00:33]
Amanda Nelson
Not accurate, right? It's not. Not true.
[00:35]
Rebecca Schinsky
It's not true.
[00:37]
Amanda Nelson
One of the reasons. Yeah, I mean, this exists for both listeners and for us to have a playground. And what better playground, I mean, short of bringing back Annotated, right, than getting to talk about movies.
[00:47]
Rebecca Schinsky
Was that a meat. Was that a playground? It was like a playground that was also a meat grinder. It was like a playground inside of a chicken processing factory.
[00:55]
Amanda Nelson
You know, I have. This is probably just hindsight and rose colored glasses.
[00:59]
Rebecca Schinsky
Here we go. Here we go.
[01:00]
Amanda Nelson
But I have thought, like, knowing if we went back to Annotated, knowing what we know now about how to make a show like that, it would probably still be a meat grinder, but at least we would know we were getting into it.
[01:10]
Rebecca Schinsky
Are you saying that there was something the last 10 episodes we didn't know after the first 20? Because remember, we didn't do just four. We did 30 of those.
[01:17]
Amanda Nelson
That's true. Well, we got much more efficient at recording them over time. The first couple were really intensive.
[01:24]
Rebecca Schinsky
They were.
[01:24]
Amanda Nelson
We did like line by line readings.
[01:27]
Rebecca Schinsky
Yeah.
[01:27]
Amanda Nelson
Anyway, it would still. It would just be a smaller meat grinder. But I have fond memories of it.
[01:32]
Rebecca Schinsky
I do, too. I'm glad we did it and that we bring it up so often with our head in our hands, wistfully, kind of. It's our own Hailsham. Can we say that? Remember when? Now that we're having our organs being removed. Do you remember the good old days of Annotated?
[01:48]
Amanda Nelson
Let me just put on a drab colored cardigan.
[01:52]
Rebecca Schinsky
We do need to talk about a lot of the aesthetic choices in the movie, but we're going to start with the book. We're talking about the book and movie of Kasu Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go 2005 novel, 2010 movie. Alex Garland writes the screenplay. Kind of the most remarkable piece who's gone on to do lots of other interesting. The director, Mark Romanek, is not a name. I had top of mind and doesn't look to me like Lock and Key. I don't think I've seen anything. He's a lot of music videos.
[02:25]
Amanda Nelson
Yeah. His resume is a wild poo poo platter of music videos.
[02:31]
Rebecca Schinsky
It was a TV movie of Lock and Key. Very strange.
[02:35]
Amanda Nelson
Yeah. He did. He did a segment of the Lemonade video. He's done Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Jay z, Taylor Swift, U2, Madonna. And then this is a kind of a very weird outlier.
[02:50]
Rebecca Schinsky
His first. His feature before this was One Hour photo, which is a thriller from 2002 starring Robin Williams, was a very interesting, but small and strange movie. So I. There feels like there's backstory to me there.
[03:03]
Amanda Nelson
Yeah. I did not get into the deep dive. I didn't either Google machine of how did this movie get made with these particular people? But I wondered when I was like, okay, so how do you go from making these really excellent music videos and then also making a movie that adapts a work of literature like this and doing a very good job of it. That's a. That's a lot of range on Roman.
[03:23]
Rebecca Schinsky
And getting the hot young British actor set to sign on. I mean, talk about them. The cast has really held up well, you know, who is still current. Maybe an interesting permutations we can talk about. But we're here for the book. Let's be honest. Both of us read the book first. You had only read the book. This was your first viewing of the movie. And we're gonna go through a normal, you know, bring out our Adaptation Nation template, some of which is more or less interesting. Why are we doing this now? I think the answer is because we wanted to. Am I wrong?
[03:50]
Amanda Nelson
Nope. We wanted to do an Adaptation Nation this summer. I went back to the initial spreadsheet that you had when we were brainstorming Adaptation Nation of like all the books. And then different members of staff had put our initials next to the ones we were interested in doing. And so I was sort of looking through all the ones where you and I were already on there together. And I was like, oh, never let me go. Yes.
[04:12]
Rebecca Schinsky
And so the opportunity to read, maybe to be more. To be more expansive about because we want to. I'll say this. Michelle and I talked a lot about this. I don't remember she's seen the movie and like the movie and those you may remember, she's the coiner of the term five alarm snot bar bomb. And this is definitely for her applies. And so she was not interested in rewatching with me, though interested in talking about it. And I said something this morning That I didn't know was true until I said it. But I think this. I think there's a good chance if I were to make a list of my 15 most memorable reading experiences. I think this is a potential. Where they call it a possible. Is that what they say? I think this is a. This is a candidate to whittle down from. It may not make the list, but I would have to eliminate it. Right. It would be on my long list to use the award nominations. Very distinct memory of reading it. Very distinct sense memory of what it felt like to read it. And it held up in my re. Reading experience. What was your first initial reaction to this book and the reading of it?
[05:16]
Amanda Nelson
I read it. I think it was. I think I picked this up off of a like new and paperbacks table in 2006 or 2007. And I remember that like I had not. This is my. No. Was it. It was either my first or second Ishiguro. I don't know if I had read Remains of the Day yet. And so I remember that, like just the deep quiet of the writing and then that lurking sinister feeling like, you know, from the jump that something is not right here. Something dark is happening. And he's unfurling it intentionally, really slowly. But then getting to the reveal and having it feel both like, that's exactly what I thought was happening. But oh my God, how can that be? What's happening was. Yeah. Also very memorable. But that reading experience was so long ago that the. The rest of the details of the book had kind of faded. So I came into it knowing, oh, right, this is that lovely. Like kind of a boarding school campus novel in some ways, which I love the shit out of a campus novel, baby. But also they are science specimen organ donors. And when Bob has not read it or seen it, and I was telling him, like, we're getting ready to do this. I'm going to the movie. Do you want to watch it with me? And he was having me explain it to him. And I found myself going, it's kind of in the Soylent Green is people of reveal. Like that. Like that realm of reveal of like, this is what these people are actually for. And he was like, I don't. I don't think I need to go there.
[06:43]
Rebecca Schinsky
Well, I think it's interesting too. That's. I think that that reaction makes sense. I think it would surprise a lot of people who know the reveal of what the actual book is like, don't you?
[06:52]
Amanda Nelson
I. I think so too. And this was. I think I hinted at it in my notes a little bit. But I think what makes Ishiguro such a master and what makes one of the things that makes this literary with a sci fi bent rather than like straight hard science fiction, is that the book is not about the mechanics of that concept. It's not about how the kids were, where they came from, how were they produced. Right. We know that they've been at Hailsham since infanthood, but we, like, we don't know any of the mechanics of it. We don't know the mechanics really of these surgeries that they have. If there's a particular order to all of them, we just know everybody does a couple donations.
[07:31]
Rebecca Schinsky
Fourth one's bad.
[07:32]
Amanda Nelson
That's all we know the fourth one's bad. That's you're. That you're gone then. But we don't know. Is it always this, then that, then this? What's like. He's not concerned with how this functions in the rest of the world. I think it's present enough that we can assume this is happening elsewhere, not just in Britain at the time. Like this is happening all over the world and these are just the people. But it's, it is the not about that. It's so quiet. And that also made sense for Bob's rejection of like, I'm not going to give two hours of my life to like. Oh. But it's mostly about how they make sense of it and what they understand or don't about the world and how they relate to each other inside this certain doom that they have, like mortality and relationships and the, the shit that Ishiguro is really, really good at, just through. Through this sci fi lens. But it's really, it's a hard book to pitch, I think about this.
[08:22]
Rebecca Schinsky
It's a really hard book to pitch.
[08:24]
Amanda Nelson
Like, why would I try to convince someone to read. I guess I know why I would because it's a great reading experience. But how do you convey that and you. And you don't want to give it away. Thanks so much for listening. Join us@patreon.com bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content. That's patreon.com bookriotpodcast.