ginacz 's review for:

Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje

4.0

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As someone who doesn't really care too much for all the TV programming about forensics, I actually really enjoyed this book, the main character of which is a forensic scientist. For me, it brought together geopolitics, history, art and medicine together in a fluid balance, but perhaps most interesting to me was the setting in Sri Lanka. I've certainly been aware of the civil strife that has led to a staggering number of brutal deaths within the country, but this is an evocative addition to news reportage. Ondaatje emphasizes the fact that both sides have done terrible things, and that many citizens who want to remain neutral cannot -- or are not allowed to. To me, Anil's personal backstory is interesting, but not the real heart of the matter. I found myself being a bit inattentive when the book would flash back to her relationship with Cullis or her frienship with Leaf. Neither seemed to add a lot to the fascinating plot in Sri Lanka. The supporting Sri Lankan characters are richly drawn and unique, and the book certainly opened my eyes to the fascinating but rarely-discussed (in the U.S.) history of art and Buddhism in the country. But, even for the casual reader, those references aren't heavy enough to make the book cumbersome or boring. Ondaatje does a lot with a minimum of words, but that's the poet in him.