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nattygsmith 's review for:
The Cat's Table
by Michael Ondaatje
This is the first book of Ondaatje's that I've read - I think I should read more of him. On the surface, it's the story of a young boy journeying from Sri Lanka to England on board a steamship, and the relationships he builds with the other characters at the dining hall's Cat's Table. The book accomplished much more than that, however, by investigating the transience of these kinds of relationships, the friends who stay and those who don't, and the tricky nature of childhood memories.
Given that I didn't know much about him, while I was reading I wasn't sure whether this was a work of fiction or a memoir. I enjoyed not knowing - it made me realize that, were I ever to even consider writing a memoir (for god knows what reason), I would like it to be at least half as artful, beautiful, and readable as this book.
Given that I didn't know much about him, while I was reading I wasn't sure whether this was a work of fiction or a memoir. I enjoyed not knowing - it made me realize that, were I ever to even consider writing a memoir (for god knows what reason), I would like it to be at least half as artful, beautiful, and readable as this book.