Anil's Ghost

Although there are many reviews of "Anil's Ghost" already posted, I felt compelled to write another on the grounds that many reviewers appear to have not fully appreciated Ondaatje's goals in this book. I share the opinion of some of the other readers, that this is Ondaatje's best work to date. In my case I'll go farther and say this is the best novel I've read in several years. Some people seem to be finding the book dull, and it is certainly not standard best-seller fare. It is subtle, allusive, and not driven by plot. Although it concerns the civil war in Sri Lanka, it is not *about* it. Although it concerns the search of a forensic anthropologist for the origin of a possibly-murdered skeleton it is not about that either. Readers who approach the novel as mystery are bound for disappointment, because this is not a novel of revelation, but one of concealment. It would perhaps be best to consider "Anil's Ghost" as a poetic meditation on the nature and search for truth. As it examines truth from many angles, it comes to no pat conclusions, which may also be troubling for some readers. Instead it uses the compelling characters and dramatic structure to illustrate the complexity of truth, while not absolving us of the duty of searching for it. The specific setting is necessary for the development of the themes, which are, nonetheless, universal. The prose is perhaps not as intensely beautiful as that of "The English Patient," but that is appropriate for the subject matter. Ondaatje has written a story of torture and murder which is neither thoroughly dark, nor simplistically heroic. Instead he gives us a multilayered truth in which the deepest darkness still allows a space for hope. It is a subtle, brilliant, stunning book.

Many have said they are disappointed with the book, but have hinted the writing is far subtler than in earlier books. That's exactly it. While there are a few pages of less-than-stellar prose (for a 300-page book, it is extremely tight), Ondaatje has pulled off some amazing things here. Foremost is his ability to link the landscape with the human. From diamond and plumbago mines to the ruins of palaces to the inscription filled caves that once housed ascetic monks, the author lets the geography and conflict of Sri Lanka reveal the geography and conflict of being. And just as the characters hoard individual inscriptions (Warning: WHEN IT RAINS, THESE STEPS ARE BEAUTIFUL or more brutually "In diagnosing a vascular injury, a high index of suspicion is necesary."), you'll come across sentences, paragraphs, pages you'll want to commit to memory. Finally, the experience of discovery, the delving and decryption involved in reading the book is so, well, lovingly mirrored in the character's investigations (of self, memory, identity) that you read with the sense that you are doing something important, that you are ferreting out a deep and wonderful secret about the human experience. That you, like the artists and doctors in the story, are revealing pain only to heal it, figuring the dead only to honor and remember them.Read, I implore you, this wonderful, horrible, beautiful book.

This is a really great book. However, those looking for a repeat of The English Patient may be disappointed. While the writing style is very similar (Ondaatje's poetic descriptions) the organization is much clearer and easier to follow. It isn't until 2/3 of the way into the book that he begins to mix events around. But it works! The characters are as fascinating as those we know from The English Patient, but the plot is far more interesting, and his descriptions near sublime. This book is poetic, disturbing and uplifting all at the same time. One can imagine that this is a topic that is closer to the heart of the author, but no matter what, it comes through as a thoughtful, inspired work of art.

In his latest novel, 'Anil's Ghost' Ondaatje takes us back to his native Island Sri Lanka, through a labyrinth of a journey full of imagination, creativity and originality. Although Ondaatje brings several characters whose lives are engulfed with a bloody civil war and its aftermath he does not provide any political solutions. His ability to examine the pasts with the present provides sufficient insights into the complexities of characters he has wonderfully portrayed in this excellent novel rich with Ondaatje's special prose full of metaphors and images. The most striking feature of this novel is how Ondaatje has combined the history, art, archaeology, folklore of this fascinating country which is at a cross-road today. Anyone who has some interest in Sri Lanka or anyone who had links with this lost paradise must read this novel to understand the complexities of a civil war and above all to appreciate the original work of a great writer.In summary, Ondaatje tells us a fascinating story of an island where.." the darkest Greek tragedies ..[are] innocent compared with what is happening..." there.

Thankfully, after the success of The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje did not feel the pressure to 'sell-out' or 'dumb-down' and spent 7 years carefully (and I mean CAREFULLY) crafting a very Ondaatje book - a poetic and gentle journey through the human experience. Under the shell of a dramatic story of war-crimes and governement cover-ups, Ondaatje tells us far more about human relationships and feelings of alienation. The book is full of metaphor and symbols but it is Ondaatje's slight of hand which allows it to sink in without being obvious. And all along there are the wonderfully imaginative and original scenes that few writers are able to come up with, cinematic-like moments that are never forgotten.Ondaatje has a truly original and distinctive voice and like seeing an old friend after a long absence the publication of Anil's Ghost is a wonderful reward for the long wait. A truly great and timeless book which will forever be considered one of the great modern novels.