Klara and the Sun

Narrator Klara is an AF (Artificial Friend) android, available for sale in an AF store. AFs are sold to wealthy families to help socialize children, who have few opportunities to play together. From the middle of the store, Klara can see buildings, the sun, and “Beggar Man and his dog” (3) through the window. AFs are solar-powered, and Klara is acutely aware of the sun’s position and “nourishment.” Rex, another AF, tells Klara to touch the “sun’s pattern” (4) on the floor and teases her when it goes away. Rex is moved to the front window, and Klara notices a young girl admiring him. She speculates to her friend and fellow AF Rosa, “She’s going to choose him! She loves him. He’s so lucky!” (6). The girl’s mother, however, mentions that Rex and Klara’s model, the B2 third series, have “solar absorption problems” (6), and they leave the store.

Klara and Rosa are moved to the store’s display window. Klara is curious about the outside world. She enjoys examining the buildings and observing pedestrians. Klara is particularly observant, sharing her thoughts on pedestrians’ emotional signals with Rosa and Manager. Rosa is uninterested, but Manager remarks on Klara’s insight: “Klara, you’re quite remarkable. […] You notice and absorb so much” (10).

Josie comes to the store on Klara’s fourth day in the window. She smiles and talks to Klara from outside, and Klara smiles and responds in pantomime. Josie tells Klara that she caught her eye when they passed earlier and promises that Klara would be able to see where the sun sets from her house. Josie’s mother, Chrissy, gets out of her taxi and leaves with Josie, who promises Klara that she’ll come back.

Klara notices that AFs tend to avoid the store when they pass by. She also notices when people are unhappy or tense, and when passing children or teenagers are unhappy with their AFs. One day, Klara and Rosa witness a fistfight between two taxi drivers, and Rosa erroneously believes that the two drivers were “playing.” Later, a woman Klara calls “Coffee Cup Lady” recognizes a man across the street, and they embrace. Klara notes the intense mix of emotions on Coffee Cup Lady’s face. A week later, Josie returns to the window and asks Klara if she’d like to be her AF, promising that she would enjoy living in her house, despite the fact that “some days I’m not so well” (26). Klara likes Josie and signals affirmation through the glass. Josie promises to come back the next day but doesn’t. Klara and Rosa are removed from the window and replaced with three B3 AFs. Klara senses that Manager is disappointed, though she doesn’t say it.

From inside the store, Klara sees the “Cootings Machine” in a construction area on the street. The Cootings Machine is an industrial apparatus which expels “pollution” from three smoke stacks. The machine’s exhaust is a nuisance due to its proximity to the storefront, and Klara resents that the smoke blocks the sun. After several days, the Cootings Machine is gone. Two days later, a girl with short hair comes into the store and holds Klara’s hand, but Klara doesn’t smile at her. Manager notices Klara’s reaction to the girl and sells her and her father a B3, the newest model of AF. However, Manager tells Klara that she won’t cover for her again, and that AFs are not supposed to discriminate between children. Rosa is eventually bought, and more AFs come and go from the store. The newer boy B3 AFs are rude to the older boy AFs, and Klara wonders how they could be considered an improvement.

Manager puts Klara in the front window again. She notices the beggar and his dog motionless on the sidewalk and assumes they are dead. Later, however, they wake up and rise, and Klara concludes that the sun has a “special kind of nourishment” (38) that can heal the sick.

After 10 days in the window, Klara is moved to the rear alcove. Josie comes into the store with Chrissy. They don’t see Klara, but Manager shows them to her upon hearing Josie’s description. To test her observational skills, Chrissy asks Klara questions about Josie’s eyes and voice. She asks Klara to replicate Josie’s walk, which Klara does well. Chrissy and Josie buy Klara.