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A review by grayjay
In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
3.0
Ondaatje fictionalizes the lives of Canadian immigrants who played a large part in the early development of the city of Toronto in the early 1900s, focusing on the building of the Prince Edward Viaduct and the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant. He also weaves in historical figures such as Ambrose Small among his fictional ones.
The novel hones in on the sacrifices paid by immigrants to build the country that welcomed them in yet kept them at a distance. Yet I also felt like I was kept at a distance. I found the jumps in time, not confusing, but a little distancing. Each time we return to the lives of the primary characters their circumstances and relationships have changed.
Yet it is still a poignant story. His characters really suffer from the dominant power structures of a young Canada, eager to grow and willing to push the powerless out of its way
The novel hones in on the sacrifices paid by immigrants to build the country that welcomed them in yet kept them at a distance. Yet I also felt like I was kept at a distance. I found the jumps in time, not confusing, but a little distancing. Each time we return to the lives of the primary characters their circumstances and relationships have changed.
Yet it is still a poignant story. His characters really suffer from the dominant power structures of a young Canada, eager to grow and willing to push the powerless out of its way