It is a difficult book to read because of the amount of reading – often seemingly meaningless. Don’t be intimidated by the weird format of it. Just read on and don’t feel bad if something escapes you. You’re meant to be a little overwhelmed, but it’s a very beautiful story of family and love if you can get through it.
The main narrator of the book, Johnny, was defined by his powerful relationship with his mother, and the book includes a series of poetic letters she wrote to him (The Whalestoe Letters).
This is a really sweet thing to in memory of your mother, and in that context, perhaps you might find a deeper connection with her through this book.
I’ve read Never Let Me Go and genuinely love it, but it has a very meandering and anti-climactic style (and is often very incorrectly as a horror sci-fi), and I imagine it’s not for everyone.