Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go is the heartbreaking tale of a boarding school of children. Although in some ways their lives seem idyllic and free from worries, their future remains unclear to them with only hints dropped here and there about what awaits them once they reach adulthood. This was our Hoboken Public Library Science Fiction and Fantasy September 2025 read, but this is a work of literary fiction that transcends beyond the usual Science Fiction fandom. We had previously read as a group Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun; both works deal with the complex issue of what makes us human and what is the human soul. I found Never Let Me Go to be a haunting story that though sometimes was a tough emotional read, I feel was worthwhile.
The Space Between Worlds
by Micaiah Johnson
The Space Between Worlds is a more typical Science Fiction Dystopia set in a domed city inhabited by the elite while the poor are forced to live outside in a bleak dessert wasteland. Cross dimensional travel is possible, but only to worlds without a direct equivalent to oneself, due to death or never being born. Because Cara originally came from the wastelands and her alternate selves often died young, she has many of the worlds open to her and thus a chance at moving up into domed society. There are several clever plot twists. This was our July 2025 read for the book group. Never Let Me Go and The Space Between Worlds both give insight to futures where our scientific abilities reach beyond our moral compass, an important lesson for our modern age.
Join the Science Fiction-Fantasy Book Discussion Group for more great speculative fiction reads. Our next March discussion will be another fascinating dystopian story, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Public Library Blog 