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alongapath 's review for:
The Cat's Table
by Michael Ondaatje
Myna is an 11 year old boy, sailing on the Oronsay from Colombo, Sri Lanka to London, England. Alone, he is leaving everything he has ever known in order to meet his mother and restart a life together in England. This 21 day voyage through the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Meditaranean and onward is a true adventure. He is part of the Cat's Table, the polar opposite of the Captain's Table, and is immersed in the stories of the lower-class characters who share his meals. On the journey, he makes life-long friends, discovers beauty, takes part in crimes, experiences lust and witnesses a daring escape.
Told expertly from the boy's perspective, Ondaajte masterfully shows how a child navigates this adult world while holding on to his child-like views. Unaware of the interwoven lives of the adults who share seats at his assigned dining table, Myna takes little pieces of his interactions and forms an incomplete puzzle. It isn't until 30 years have passed that he finally understands the events at sea all those years before.
This is a wonderful tale of being a child and letting all that adult nonsense roll passed, witnessed but unanalysed. Ondaajte reminds me that we can only take in what we understand. A beautiful story.
Told expertly from the boy's perspective, Ondaajte masterfully shows how a child navigates this adult world while holding on to his child-like views. Unaware of the interwoven lives of the adults who share seats at his assigned dining table, Myna takes little pieces of his interactions and forms an incomplete puzzle. It isn't until 30 years have passed that he finally understands the events at sea all those years before.
This is a wonderful tale of being a child and letting all that adult nonsense roll passed, witnessed but unanalysed. Ondaajte reminds me that we can only take in what we understand. A beautiful story.