Scan barcode
A review by futurama1979
In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
4.0
This book really had a lot of elements that I love in stories - a lovable but imperfect protagonist, a span of multiple decades covered, interweaving lives and coincidental meetings, and most of all the use of a historical framework for fictional characters.
Despite the prose being pretty layered and dense at some moments, it was surprisingly easy and quick to read; the story was so engaging I never wanted to put it down! I really loved Patrick's character, and I think the fact that he was sort of vague - all the focused description was about other people he was observing - made him seem more real, made his flaws more tangible, and also made that moment where he says he's Hana's dad so much stronger because he so rarely declares anything about himself. I loved that part so much.
My only issue with it really was that of the three men it was told from the perspective of - Patrick, Nicholas, and David - they seemed to have really similar views of/encounters with/relationships with women, which was kind of like.. squints at the author. But overall really enjoyed this one!
Despite the prose being pretty layered and dense at some moments, it was surprisingly easy and quick to read; the story was so engaging I never wanted to put it down! I really loved Patrick's character, and I think the fact that he was sort of vague - all the focused description was about other people he was observing - made him seem more real, made his flaws more tangible, and also made that moment where he says he's Hana's dad so much stronger because he so rarely declares anything about himself. I loved that part so much.
My only issue with it really was that of the three men it was told from the perspective of - Patrick, Nicholas, and David - they seemed to have really similar views of/encounters with/relationships with women, which was kind of like.. squints at the author. But overall really enjoyed this one!