Narrator and point of view

The novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is told from the perspective of a first-person narrator, who is also the main character. 

The narrator talks about the events in retrospect, looking back on important moments in her life. Therefore, the narrator, now 31, presents her childhood and early teens from a perspective that she has gained after growing up and having time to reflect on all that has happened. 

In fact, there are times when the narrator admits that she is remembering events from an adult’s perspective. Some of the thoughts she presents may not have necessarily been the same thoughts she had as a child, but are only added now, once the narrator has gained more knowledge and life experience:

It’s even possible I began to realise, right back then, the nature of her worries and frustrations...