Dua’s Monthly Read for October 2026
“I first read Klara & The Sun when it was published in 2021 and I’ve devoured Kazuo Ishiguro’s entire back catalogue since. I’m totally hooked.
“Josie is an AF – an artificial friend – designed to be a caring companion to 14-year-old Josie. In many ways it’s a traditional coming of age story. But right from the start, it’s clear this isn’t quite the world we know. Children are taught remotely via on-screen tutors and are genetically edited, or “lifted”, in a procedure intended to give them advanced intelligence but at great cost – sometimes their very lives.
“The crisis at the heart of the novel is whether Josie, who is sick, will recover with Klara’s help – and if she doesn’t, will her mother survive the loss? Klara begs the sun to pour its nourishment into Josie with an unquestioning belief in its power and goodness.
“One of the joys of this novel is the trust that Ishiguro places in readers to catch the small details: what happened to Josie’s sister Sal, who died before the story begins? Why does her father live in an armed community? And what is the mysterious ‘portrait’ Mr. Capaldi wants to make of Klara?
“At a time when AI's impact is questioned daily, this novel feels prescient. But at its core, this is a book about our humanity – what it means to be human and why that is irreplaceable.
“Klara & The Sun is one of my favourite novels by one of our greatest living authors. I can’t wait to get into it all with you.” – Dua Lipa
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