The Cat's Table

I have to again thank Rita for a great book recommendation. This novel is by Michael Ondaatje, who wrote The English Patient. I never read that book, didn't see the movie either, but I may read it now since I enjoyed this novel so much.

Michael is an 11-year-old boy in the 1950's, traveling on a ship from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Great Britain. The story is about the experiences of Michael and his companions at the "cat's table" - the least important table on the ship. While there is some plot and story development, I would call this more of a "slice of time" novel, just telling what happens during those 3 weeks on board ship, and describing Michael's encounters with other shipmates and the friends he makes.

Towards the end there is some deeper explication of some of the things that happened on the ship, but what I enjoyed about the novel was the author's eloquence in capturing the boy's experiences, and his richly drawn characters. It really felt almost autobiographical, although Ondaatje makes it clear that it is not. But either way, it's just a really lovely book.

The Cat's Table