Klara and the Sun

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How did your experience of reading a novel with an “artificial” narrator differ from reading one with a human narrator?
• Did reading Klara and the Sun make you feel empathetic toward artificial intelligence (AI)?
• The novel doesn’t clarify whether the sun really healed Josie. What do you think happened?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Does the idea of AFs scare or excite you?
• Chrissy is trying to take desperate measures to preserve her daughter in some way. Do you relate to her choices?
• “Lifting” children is an analogy for giving richer children a head start in a capitalist society. Have you ever witnessed someone paying their way into success?
• ChatGPT was launched a year after this novel was published. How does your experience of ChatGPT impact your reading of the novel?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• How does the novel address contemporary concerns about climate change?
• How does it address concerns about the ethical use of AI?
• Ishiguro wrote this novel in the context of research and charity campaigns surrounding the idea that “loneliness kills.” How does the novel reflect this context?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Which aspects of Klara’s narrative voice hint that she is artificial?
• What does the sun symbolize?
• What is the impact of Ishiguro structuring the novel in six parts?
• Compare this novel to others that you have read in the science fiction genre. What qualities do they share?
• Klara and the Sun is largely a novel about class. What perspectives does it offer about class and wealth?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Rewrite the scene in which Chrissy and Klara go to Morgan’s Falls from Chrissy’s perspective. How is she feeling in those moments?
• Choose a partner and play the “bubble game” that Rick and Josie play, in which one person draws pictures of people and the other person fills in their thought bubbles.