Michael Ondaatje, the author of “Anil’s Ghost”, had impressed me with his book, “The English Patient”, but I was not enthusiastic about his modern novel style. A linear narrative that moves in well connected chapters is my preference. Despite that prejudice, I have enjoyed the “magical realism” of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Captivated by his masterful writing, I put aside my longing to be entertained with a story told without disjunctive leaps from reality to sublime imaginative passages. There is much of the same magic realism lurching from cohesive story telling to impressionistic splashing of remembrance in the structure of “Anil’s Ghost”. I came to see why the horrors confronted by Anil, had to be described with detachment, and to understand that reality has many faces. I was not entertained by “Anil’s Ghost”, but I was immeasurably enlightened.
Anil Tessiria comes to Sri Lanka, better known in my geography as Ceylon. It was the country of her birth, but as a privileged member of that society, she had enjoyed an education in England and America. A trained forensic archeologist, she returns to her native country as a scientist charged with investigating the human rights crimes of a society plunged into the hell of civil war where terror is used as a weapon by the government, the Tamil insurgents and apparently anyone aggrieved in the turmoil of the conflict.
To give my unprejudiced opinion of the literary success or failure of Michael Ondaatje’s book would require an objective stance that is beyond me. The fact that the book, though a fiction, has demanded the attention of critics assessing the use of terror in political confrontations speaks to its importance.
If you are seeking escape, “Anil’s Ghost” is not for you. If you believe that knowing about Sri Lanka’s descent into hell will give you needed understanding of the uses of terror, it is required reading. Seldom have I put aside a book after its last words with such a wariness of leaving the haven of fiction.
Anil Tessiria comes to Sri Lanka, better known in my geography as Ceylon. It was the country of her birth, but as a privileged member of that society, she had enjoyed an education in England and America. A trained forensic archeologist, she returns to her native country as a scientist charged with investigating the human rights crimes of a society plunged into the hell of civil war where terror is used as a weapon by the government, the Tamil insurgents and apparently anyone aggrieved in the turmoil of the conflict.
To give my unprejudiced opinion of the literary success or failure of Michael Ondaatje’s book would require an objective stance that is beyond me. The fact that the book, though a fiction, has demanded the attention of critics assessing the use of terror in political confrontations speaks to its importance.
If you are seeking escape, “Anil’s Ghost” is not for you. If you believe that knowing about Sri Lanka’s descent into hell will give you needed understanding of the uses of terror, it is required reading. Seldom have I put aside a book after its last words with such a wariness of leaving the haven of fiction.
Reviewed by Don Mac Brown
1 comment:
Don, I certainly agree with your preference for prose that is organized linearly. The contemporary disjuctive style disturbs my 'left brain'-dominated way of looking at things. Some say that the temporal and character jumps in vogue reflects the move away from the printed page into modern forms of communication -- too bad for us, I guess.
Ken
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