This seems to be quite a polarizing book, with everyone either loving it or hating it. But Klara and the Sun didn't elicit such strong emotions in me. It didn't wow me in any way, but I didn't hate it either. I fell squarely in the meh-meh middle.
We start off with Klara at the store, hoping to be chosen as the Artificial Friend for a family. Since she's a robot and the story is told from her perspective, her narrative comes across as a bit robotic and detached. But it fits the tone of the story, and I really enjoyed reading her growing awareness and insight. And I'm not afraid to admit that her search for her "forever home" tugged at my heartstrings.
But I got a little bit confused soon after because I'm not sure what the author is trying to say with this story. The potential for something profound is there, but the narrative doesn't get anywhere close to that. When we reach the ending, it feels convenient, as if the author ran out of steam or doesn't quite know how to wrap up all the concepts he introduced.
With this being science fiction, I have to make a comment on the science part. To me, it feels clumsy and not well-thought-out. The technology comes across as both more advanced than our current world with AI, but also less advanced with Klara's lack of understanding for how humans function. There were also concepts in here that were referred to throughout without explanation until much later in the book, and it created this artificial sense of bewilderment.
Overall, it's hard for me to know what to think of this book because it didn't say much. There was a lot of potential, but the story ended up only scratching the surface. It feels unfinished, with a fluffy slapdash ending that didn't even come close to addressing any of the worthwhile topics in here.
Readaroo Rating: 3 stars
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