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Jun 19, 2018RogerDeBlanck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
By no stretch would Michael Ondaatje’s novels fit into a specific genre category. His stories are marked by intricate plot connections, complexly drawn characters, and evocative prose. Anil’s Ghost, much like his other novels, fulfills these criteria to the finest degree, yet the story he tells is unique in that it reads with the pace and energy of a first-rate international crime thriller. The setting for this absorbing novel is Sri Lanka, Ondaatje’s place of birth, and the main plot centers around solving a murder. The main character is Anil Tissera, a forensic anthropologist who is returning home to Sri Lanka to work with government investigators as they try to solve a string of murders tied to the rebel forces who have divided Sri Lanka into a warring island. Ondaatje, however, does not attempt to use language or plot as a mere device to unraveling a crime. He produces a keen literary landscape, stunning in its detail and imagery. He includes cultural insights that lift the narrative to enchanting heights as Anil and a close group of government officials gather clues to piece together the extent of the systematic killings. Ondaatje assures himself a place among the giants of modern literature with a book as well-written and intricately told as Anil’s Ghost.