Excerpt from Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

On Rex's third day in the front alcove, a girl came in with her mother. I wasn't so good then at telling ages, but I remember esti­mating thirteen and a half for the girl, and I think now that was
correct. The mother was an office worker, and from her shoes and suit we could tell she was high-ranking. The girl went straight to Rex and stood in front of him, while the mother came wandering our way, glanced at us, then went on towards the rear, where two AFs were sitting on the Glass Table, swinging their legs freely as Manager had told them to do. At one point the mother called, but the girl ignored her and went on staring up at Rex's face. Then the child reached out and ran a hand down Rex's arm. Rex said noth­ing, of course, just smiled down at her and remained still, exactly as we'd been told to do when a customer showed special interest.

'Look!' Rosa whispered. 'She's going to choose him! She loves him. He's so lucky!' I nudged Rosa sharply to silence her, because we could easily be heard.

Now it was the girl who called to the mother, and then soon they were both standing in front of Boy AF Rex, looking him up and down, the girl sometimes reaching forward and touching him. The two conferred in soft voices, and I heard the girl say at one point, 'But he's perfect, Mom. He's beautiful.' Then a moment later, the child said, 'Oh, but Mom, come on.'

Manager by this time had brought herself quietly behind them. Eventually the mother turned to Manager and asked:

'Which model is this one?'

'He's a B2,' Manager said. 'Third series. For the right child, Rex will make a perfect companion. In particular, I feel he'll encourage a conscientious and studious attitude in a young person.'

'Well this young lady here could certainly do with that.'

'Oh, Mother, he's perfect.'

Then the mother said: 'B2, third series. The ones with the solar absorption problems, right?'

She said it just like that, in front of Rex, her smile still on her face. Rex kept smiling too, but the child looked baffled and glanced from Rex to her mother.

'It's true,' Manager said, 'that the third series had a few minor issues at the start. But those reports were greatly exaggerated. In environments with normal levels of light, there's no problem whatsoever.'

'I've heard solar malabsorption can lead to further problems,' the mother said. 'Even behavioral ones.'

'With respect, ma'am, series three models have brought immense happiness to many children. Unless you live in Alaska or down a mineshaft, you don't need to worry.'

The mother went on looking at Rex. Then finally she shook her head. 'I'm sorry, Caroline. I can see why you like him. But he's not for us. We'll find one for you that's perfect.'

Rex went on smiling until after the customers had left, and even after that, showed no sign of being sad. But that's when I remem­bered about him making that joke, and I was sure then that those questions about the Sun, about how much of his nourishment we could have, had been in Rex's mind for some time.

Today, of course, I realize Rex wouldn't have been the only one. But officially, it wasn't an issue at all – every one of us had specifi­cations that guaranteed we couldn't be affected by factors such as our positioning within a room. Even so, an AF would feel himself growing lethargic after a few hours away from the Sun, and start to worry there was something wrong with him – that he had some fault unique to him and that if it became known, he'd never find a home.

That was one reason why we always thought so much about being in the window. Each of us had been promised our turn, and each of us longed for it to come. That was partly to do with what Manager called the 'special honor' of representing the store to the outside. Also, of course, whatever Manager said, we all knew we were more likely to be chosen while in the window. But the big thing, silently understood by us all, was the Sun and his nourish­ment. Rosa did once bring it up with me, in a whisper, a little while before our turn came around.

Excerpted from Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Copyright © 2021 by Kazuo Ishiguro. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.