Michael Ondaatje: IN THE SKIN OF A LION

Flashbacks are all over the pages of this image-rich novel by Michael Ondaatje, author of the Booker Prize - winning The English Patient. In this novel, the main character is Patrick Lewis. His intimate memory of his childhood, his search for a missing millionaire, his love affair with two actresses, and his encounters with two of the main characters in the following novel, The English Patient, are weaved in a non-linear and dreamlike fashion in the novel In The Skin Of A Lion. I've encountered this kind of loose narrative style in some books I've read so far; however, in this particular novel, it took me ten to twenty pages to acclimatize to the style. One interesting aspect of the story is Patrick's one particular experience in childhood that has foreshadowed his future encounters. The details, such as the experiences of the migrant workers in Canada, Patrick and his father included, are also effectively interspersed in the narrative.

This is the first Ondaatje book I've read so far. I've already watched the film adaptation of The English Patient, which won Best Film at the Academy Awards in 1996, and liked it very much. But this does not mean I'm not going to read the book anymore. Now that I've already experienced Ondaatje, and it was a satisfying experience, I'll definitely read The English Patient in the near future.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

{11 April 2010}