Michael Ondaatje – The English Patient

Genre: Postmodern / War

Basic Plot: Four people live in an abandoned villa in Italy. All are affected by the events that have unfolded during the 2nd World War. A badly burned man lies in a bed upstairs, cared for by Hannah, a young nurse. The burned man tells the story of his past in dribs and drabs, listened to by the other three occupants at intervals as all of them try to adjust to their new lives.

Characters: All of the characters within the story have strong but decidedly flawed personalities. As a reader, you’re able to sympathise with them, but there always seems to be a boundary between the characters and the reader. Something seems to be missing from either the narrative or the way in which they’re expressed. At the end of the novel, the reader is able to see that the author realises they are only characters, and that seems to jolt the reader from their sympathy to them.

Style: This novel is written in a postmodern way. That is to say, the action flickers back and forth from past to present. The narrative moves from 3rd to 1st person as the English Patient tells his story, though in a way in which isn’t confusing to the reader, although with the change in tenses and narrative, some concentration is needed to read the novel. The writing style flows brilliantly, really drawing the reader into the happenings.

Opinions: This book is wonderfully written. The description will make those people who enjoy writing trip over themselves with different ideas. It’s evident that research was done for the writing of this novel. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book as a light read. It’s easy to get involved in, but isn’t a book that one could get the most out of whilst lying in bed of an evening.

Audience: Adults / Older Teenagers

2 Responses to “Michael Ondaatje – The English Patient”

1. Charlotte Miller says:

   January 29, 2010 at 12:55 am

   Please don’t take this the wrong way. I think your overall ideas are fine but you might want to put a little more thought into your next posts. I say this becuase it seems like your writing style has gone downhill a bit as opposed to your previous posts. – C.
2. Sara Slack says:

   January 29, 2010 at 4:27 pm

   Actually, although I’ve put this article up recently, this was one of my earlier ones. Because of how often I update the site, I ensure that I have a sort of ‘buffer’ or ‘backlog’ of reviews and articles. I do think that my writing has been steadily improving as I try to find the right ‘how to’ of doing them, as it were. But thank you for your comment.