The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Ishiguro, Kazuo. Klara and the Sun. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2021.

The novel is set an unspecified number of years in the future. The story takes place in an unspecified country. The narrator is Klara, an ‘artificial friend,’ or ‘AF’ for short. She is a sentient, solar-powered robot designed for the purpose of being a child’s companion. Klara resides in a store that sells AFs. She spends her days watching people interact or pass by outside of the store. She is highly intelligent, observant, and compassionate. One day, a 14-year-old girl named Josie visits the store with her mother. Josie takes a liking to Klara, and Josie’s mother eventually purchases Klara for Josie.

Josie and her mother (Chrissie) bring Klara to their home. They live in a large house in a fairly rural area. Josie appears to have some type of chronic illness. Chrissie is a high-powered businesswoman, and the demands of her job often prevent her from spending sufficient time with Josie. Josie introduces Klara to Rick, Josie’s best friend. Rick lives in a nearby house with his mother Helen. It eventually becomes evident to Klara and the reader that Josie has undergone a process called ‘lifting,’ in which a child’s genes are edited to make them more intelligent. This practice appears to be growing more common, especially among wealthy families. Rick is not ‘lifted,’ and so he is seen as a social outcast in many ways. He also faces much more limited academic/professional opportunities.

Josie’s illness appears to likely be a side effect of the ‘lifting’ process. Josie’s illness also appears to be growing progressively worse, and there is a substantial chance that it might be imminently fatal. Klara learns that Josie used to have a sister—Sal—who died of a very similar illness. Klara is largely a logic-driven being, with the one exception being that she seemingly believes the sun to be a powerful sentient deity. Klara pleads with the sun to save Josie with its powers of healing. Klara then becomes convinced that the sun will help Josie if Klara successfully destroys a machine she saw in the city that causes pollution.

One day, Klara accompanies Chrissie on a trip into the city. They are accompanied by Paul, who is Josie’s father and Chrissie’s ex-husband. Paul is a highly skilled engineer, but he lost his job when he was replaced by a robot. Klara learns that Chrissie has commissioned an engineer to make a robotic replica of Josie in the event of Josie’s death. During the trip into town Klara sabotages and destroys the pollution-creating machine. However, in the following weeks, Josie’s health still continues to decline. Klara pleads again with the sun. The next day, the sun shines brightly, and Josie begins to make a full recovery from her illness. Klara continues to be a companion for Josie over the following years, until Josie departs to attend college.