Shelfology Book Pairing

The Times and Sunday Times Book of the Year

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021 The #1 Sunday Times Bestseller Featured in Barack Obama's Summer Reading List 2021 'This is a novel for fans of Never Let Me Go . . . tender, touching and true.' The Times 'The Sun always has ways to reach us.' From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In Klara and the Sun, his first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, 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? 'Beautiful' Guardian 'Flawless' The Times 'Devastating' FT 'Another masterpiece' Observer

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"The House of the Dead" is a novel written by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in 1861. The novel is based on Dostoevsky's own experiences as a political prisoner in a Siberian labor camp. It is narrated by the character Alexander Petrovich Goryanchikov, who is a fictionalized version of Dostoevsky. The story provides a vivid and often harrowing account of life in the Siberian penal colony, where the inmates are subjected to brutal treatment and harsh conditions. "The House of the Dead" is known for its exploration of the psychological and social effects of imprisonment and exile. It delves into themes of suffering, redemption, and the resilience of the human spirit. The novel is significant for its realistic portrayal of the life of convicts in 19th-century Russia and for its insights into the human condition.