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Oct 06, 2019JAL49 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Central question of this novel: When we’re unsure of our own family histories, what kind of faulty narratives do we construct to tell ourselves who we are, who our parents were (or still are) and who we should feel loyal to? I lik e Ondaatje’s writing - he’s a poet & his skill with delivering the one definitive detail about a character reflects not only a poet’s way with words, but a poet’s attention to compression. He delivers a character to us by noting, in one case, the green ribbon she wears in her hair. But I think the promotion of this book partly as a “spy novel” was misleading. If you want a page turner, this book probably is not for you. But if characters interest you more than plot, this is an interesting read. Convoluted in spots, and keeping track of the time frame is sometimes difficult. The author indulges in fascinating digressions (who knew that boat traffic in the canals outside London could be so interesting?) Just expect it to move slowly and you’ll be fine.