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A review by nferre
Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
3.0
This was my first Ondaatje book and it certainly won't be my last. The writing was extraordinary and very readable. Ondaatje is from Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. He comes from the typical all Ceylonese family - much like the typical family the world over -- highly disfuctional! Full of secrets and misunderstandings and family feuds, it was quite entertaining. Did I come out of the book with a full understanding of who he is and where he came from? No. The book is short and I think most of what you get from the book is inferred.
Having said that, I related to many of the thoughts he had regarding his father. In that respect, I found it very enlightening.
"The island seduced all of Europe. The Portuguese. The Dutch. The English. And so its name changed, as well as its shape—Serendip, Ratnapida (“island of gems”), Taprobane, Zeloan, Zeilan, Seyllan, Ceilon, and Ceylon—the wife of many marriages, courted by invaders who stepped ashore and claimed everything with the power of their sword or bible or language."
"No story is ever told just once. Whether a memory or funny hideous scandal, we will return to it an hour later and retell the story with additions and this time a few judgements thrown in. In this way history is organized."
Having said that, I related to many of the thoughts he had regarding his father. In that respect, I found it very enlightening.
"The island seduced all of Europe. The Portuguese. The Dutch. The English. And so its name changed, as well as its shape—Serendip, Ratnapida (“island of gems”), Taprobane, Zeloan, Zeilan, Seyllan, Ceilon, and Ceylon—the wife of many marriages, courted by invaders who stepped ashore and claimed everything with the power of their sword or bible or language."
"No story is ever told just once. Whether a memory or funny hideous scandal, we will return to it an hour later and retell the story with additions and this time a few judgements thrown in. In this way history is organized."