Warlight by Michael Ondaatje is a story I had a lot of trouble following. I got lost and never really recovered. It covers many time periods and is an adult telling a story within a story. The philosophical premise of memory versus reality is intriguing. However, unfortunately, reading and trying to understanding an entire story based on it was too much of a challenge for me.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/10/warlight.html
Reviewed for Penguin First to Read program.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/10/warlight.html
Reviewed for Penguin First to Read program.
London after WWII. Nathanial and Rachel's parents leave for Singapore and leave them in the care of a friend they call The Moth. Nathanial is 14 at the time and the book is written from his perspective when he is 28 and he is trying to recall that period of time of just over a year when they lived with The Moth and got to know his group of friends before their mother returned. They realize their mother is not in Singapore but do not know where she is. There are hints of wartime espionage and work for the Foreign Office. The prose is elegant and beautiful and the recollections of a 14 year old when he is older is spot on. The second half of the book is Nathanial living in Sussex when he is 28 and is working for the government and investigating his mother's past. He pieces together her story and moves on to other characters from that time frame. People his mother knew who have crossed his path either in the present or when he was 14. The characters all connect and the story comes full circle. Beautifully written, beautiful language.
Couldn't finish it. Didn't grab me. Strange story of a couple of kids whos parents abandon them to be raised by a bunch of strange people
