The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
I have been in interested in The Cat’s Table since I read a glowing review of it some time back. So when I stumbled on it in the audiobook section of the local library I picked it up. And I started listening to it in the car, but the author’s voice was too quiet or subdued or something. I just couldn’t focus on the story in that format. So I switched to reading it on my Kindle.
In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he is seated at the “cat’s table”—as far from the Captain’s Table as can be—with a ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys tumble from one adventure to another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other diversions as well: one man talks with them about jazz and women, another opens the door to the world of literature. The narrator’s elusive, beautiful cousin Emily becomes his confidante, allowing him to see himself “with a distant eye” for the first time, and to feel the first stirring of desire. Another Cat’s Table denizen, the shadowy Miss Lasqueti, is perhaps more than what she seems. And very late every night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and his fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever.
As the narrative moves between the decks and holds of the ship and the boy’s adult years, it tells a spellbinding story—by turns poignant and electrifying—about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
Once I made the switch from audio to text, I really enjoyed the story for the most part. But I felt like it got a little sideways at the end.
It could be that I was reading it in smaller segments at night before bed, but the flipping back between his childhood trip on the ship and the present day got a little confusing. All of the present day threads began to get tangled up. His marriage, his relationship with his cousin, his attempts to put together what exactly happened on the ship on that fateful night so many years ago, etc.
But I did enjoy the way Ondaatje crafted this story, populated it with a great cast of characters, set in a historical setting, and then attempted to plot out how a three-week trip and the interaction of all these lives might impact the characters afterwards.
Perhaps not surprising given Ondaatje’s background, there is a real poetic sense or feel to the writing. The early vignettes are beautiful sketches that take the reader back in time and allows them to picture this odd collection of table mates bringing all their histories and personalities to the trip.
But at some point this poetic impressionistic story becomes a mystery and then an attempt to unpack the impact of this mystery years later. And for me the changing styles just didn’t work together all that well towards the end. Kind of drained the magic out of the book for me to a degree.
This is my first Ondaatje book so I can’t compare it to anything else (no, I haven’t even read the award-winning The English Patient or watched the movie). But I really liked the first three-quarters of The Cat’s Table. I might need to check out some more of this author’s work. Any recommendations on where to start?
Jonah Goldberg on writing a book
The problem, you see, is that people who don’t write books don’t know what an unending, unyielding ass-ache they are. I’d compare them to a non-stop flight in a middle seat between John Goodman’s sweaty former body double who’s now jobless because he “let himself go” and a runny-nosed, cotton-candy-loving small child who is hard to distinguish from a deadly pathogen vector.
But I can’t make that comparison — because writing a book is worse than that. You see there’s nothing “non-stop” about writing a book save the constant yearning to either reach the destination or the unending sound of the siren on your shoulder counseling you to give up and beach the ship. Even though you’re often surrounded by people, you’re always alone in that community-of-one called “the author of your unfinished book.”
It’s more like a years-long journey with constant layovers, cancelled planes, and rerouting through Newark. Every time you push away from the keyboard, it’s like deplaning just long enough to see if Wolfgang Puck Express has finally decided to more accurately rename itself “Bowel Stewery on the Go.”
I know what you’re thinking right now: “Stewery isn’t a word.” To which I ask, “That’s your objection to this rant?”
The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
Seeking out listens for my daily commute I stumbled upon The Spindlers at the local library. It had been on my wish list after some strong reviews when it was released. So I picked it up.
When Liza’s brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: The spindlers have gotten to him and stolen his soul.
She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him.
To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as strange monsters and terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers’ nests, where she must pass a series of deadly tests—or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.
I listened to it in the car for the last week or so. It was … eh.
There were some creative parts (the idea of the spindlers, the nocturni, etc.) but overall it just seemed a little flat. There were lots of classical elements (changeling, sibling quest, underground world, test of character, etc.) but there was not enough magic to really make it grab you.
It almost had a quest by numbers feel to it. Oliver tried to build suspense by having much of the backstory murky and vague. You jump right into Patrick’s soul being taken by the spindlers with little explanation and soon Liza is down below rescuing him. But the suspense never quite builds and it instead feels underdeveloped. This quick and easy read seems too simple somehow.
I also felt like none of the characters were all that likeable. Liza was cute and brave of course but her parents were distracted and stressed, Mirabella was odd, cranky, and a coward who betrayed Liza before her later change or heart. The other characters below were all ugly and selfish, etc. All the meaningful relationships seem to happen off stage. It was Liza against the world and, again, that seemed too simple or flat to me.
One important caveat: this is a middle grade book so perhaps my expectations were too high (although many reviews seem to share my reaction) or I was the wrong audience. Also, one reviewer did make a good point: in the age of big fat book series if you are looking for a cute and quick MG fantasy read this might be a good choice.
It could just be I was not in the right mood or distracted by listening to it in the car because a number of reviewers recommended it.
Kirkus:
As in the author’s first terrific book for middle-grade readers, Liesl & Po (2011), there is a smorgasbord of literary references, including strong echoes of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It is laced with humor and engaging wordplay, as well as riddles and death-defying tests and enchantments. Wholly original creatures populate the tale, some reassuring and wise, like the nocturni and lumer-lumpen, others wonderfully macabre (and ferocious), like the queen of the spindlers and the shape-shifting scawgs. In the course of her episodic quest, Liza discovers she is resourceful and brave; she sees things differently than before. Richly detailed, at times poetic, ultimately moving; a book to be puzzled over, enjoyed and, ideally, read aloud.
School Library Journal:
This imaginative fantasy emphasizes individual initiative and the power of hope and friendship. Below is a fully realized alternate world with echoes of both classic literature and mythology. This is particularly notable in its variety of inhabitants. Although the creatures are Oliver’s own creations, such beings as the winged, dream-bearing nocturni and the shape-shifting, cannibalistic scawgs have the feel of true folklore. With strong, self-reliant female characters and well-defined action, this is a strong addition to fantasy collections.
Say it with me: YMMV
The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
Seeking out listens for my daily commute I stumbled upon The Spindlers at the local library. It had been on my wish list after some strong reviews when it was released. So I picked it up.
She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him.
To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as strange monsters and terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers’ nests, where she must pass a series of deadly tests—or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.
I listened to it in the car for the last week or so. It was … eh.
There were some creative parts (the idea of the spindlers, the nocturni, etc.) but overall it just seemed a little flat. There were lots of classical elements (changeling, sibling quest, underground world, test of character, etc.) but there was not enough magic to really make it grab you.
It almost had a quest by numbers feel to it. Oliver tried to build suspense by having much of the backstory murky and vague. You jump right into Patrick’s soul being taken by the spindlers with little explanation and soon Liza is down below rescuing him. But the suspense never quite builds and it instead feels underdeveloped. This quick and easy read seems too simple somehow.
I also felt like none of the characters were all that likeable. Liza was cute and brave of course but her parents were distracted and stressed, Mirabella was odd, cranky, and a coward who betrayed Liza before her later change or heart. The other characters below were all ugly and selfish, etc. All the meaningful relationships seem to happen off stage. It was Liza against the world and, again, that seemed too simple or flat to me.
One important caveat: this is a middle grade book so perhaps my expectations were too high (although many reviews seem to share my reaction) or I was the wrong audience. Also, one reviewer did make a good point: in the age of big fat book series if you are looking for a cute and quick MG fantasy read this might be a good choice.
It could just be I was not in the right mood or distracted by listening to it in the car because a number of reviewers recommended it.
Kirkus:
As in the author’s first terrific book for middle-grade readers, Liesl & Po (2011), there is a smorgasbord of literary references, including strong echoes of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It is laced with humor and engaging wordplay, as well as riddles and death-defying tests and enchantments. Wholly original creatures populate the tale, some reassuring and wise, like the nocturni and lumer-lumpen, others wonderfully macabre (and ferocious), like the queen of the spindlers and the shape-shifting scawgs. In the course of her episodic quest, Liza discovers she is resourceful and brave; she sees things differently than before. Richly detailed, at times poetic, ultimately moving; a book to be puzzled over, enjoyed and, ideally, read aloud.
School Library Journal:
This imaginative fantasy emphasizes individual initiative and the power of hope and friendship. Below is a fully realized alternate world with echoes of both classic literature and mythology. This is particularly notable in its variety of inhabitants. Although the creatures are Oliver’s own creations, such beings as the winged, dream-bearing nocturni and the shape-shifting, cannibalistic scawgs have the feel of true folklore. With strong, self-reliant female characters and well-defined action, this is a strong addition to fantasy collections.
Say it with me: YMMV
Authors we have lost and other collected, er, miscellany
(image: Yin and Yang Koi Fish)
Sorry for my lackadaisical posting of late even by my standards. Football season started, I had home and car repairs, my family has been passing around viruses like a science experiment gone wrong, and I have been preparing to teach a Sunday School class, so not a lot of time for book reviews or blog posts.
Sadly, today I learned of the passing of two authors that have been featured here on CM and motivated to post. Probably the most well-known, and most recently featured, is Graham Joyce who passed on Tuesday after a fight with cancer.
I had most recently read Some Kind of Fairy Tale and enjoyed it (even if I did have a few nits to pick). Sad to lose such a creative and interesting author at such a relatively young age (Joyce was 59). R.I.P.
I also learned this week of the passing of Dr. W. Wesley McDonald. McDonald was the author of Russell Kirk and the Age of Ideology. A book which was the subject of the first review I had published in a magazine. I also had the chance to interview Dr. McDonald (Part I and Part II).
I had something of a more personal connection to Dr. McDonald (besides the fact that both of us received our Master’s from Bowling Green State University) as we belonged to some of the same list serves centered on Russell Kirk and traditionalist conservatism, and I had actually connected with him on Facebook. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
Rather than ending on this sad note, allow me offer some good news. A couple of authors who I have regularly enjoyed have books coming out:
Rock star writer, and “Friend of the Blog”, Gwenda Bond is coming out with Girl On A Wire which is a Kindle First September Pick. As result of the Kindle First deal, I am reading it now. Plus, she is coming out with a YA novel starring Lois Lane in 2015.
One time fellow lit blogger Laila Lalami has just had her second novel, The Moor’s Account, released. I grabbed a copy from the library and it is in the TBR soon pile. I did a Q&A with Lalami in 2009 after the publication of her novel Secret Son.
And today I found out that Brock Clarke has a new novel coming out in November called The Happiest People in the World. I am scheming even as we speak to get my hand on an ARC. I was able to do Q&As and interviews with Clarke in the early to mid 2000s when he was at the University of Cincinnati. Maybe I will try to catch up with him and discuss his last couple of novels …
