From the bestselling and Nobel Prize-winning author of NEVER LET ME GO and THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, a stunning new novel that asks: what does it mean to love? This is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.