*3.5.

Ondatje’s writing is riveting and immaculate. Although I found myself more and more disinterested with the plot as it progressed, there are scenes fleshed out so meticulously I’m sure I will never forget them.

And that last chapter (“Nowadays I eat at the hour the greyhound does”) brought on such a melancholy mood for me. So, so beautiful that I wanted to weep.

Oh, how I loved this. It wouldn't really matter what the story line was as the writing is so exquisite, expressive and wonderful. 'The English Patient' is one of my all time favourites, expectations are always nervously high for subsequent novels, but you can rest easy, as seen by its long-list nomination for this year's Man Booker Prize.

The title refers to the half light, the dimness, twilight, uncertain and slightly wild place that London was during the war years, and after. Lives lost, people displaced, lives turned upside down. In 1945 Nathaniel is 14 years old and his sister Rachel is 16. They live with their parents in a house in a street in London. One day the parents announce that they are going away to live in Singapore for a period of time for the father's work. The two children would be left in the care of a guardian. The shock and disbelief never really goes away for either Rachel and Nathaniel, this desertion at the core of their psyche for at least the duration of the novel, and probably beyond. The desertion turns into a form of betrayal when the two discover that their mother never actually left, but where she did go remains a mystery.

Their guardian, a man they call The Moth, on other hand, is a most interesting character, as are the various other strange assortment of people who become regular visitors in the family home. The Darter, Marsh Felon, Olive Lawrence - who are these people, what do they have to do with the absent parents? Nathaniel forms a particularly strong attachment to The Darter, accompanying him on various treks around London in the dead of night, as deliveries are made, quiet conversations are held. Although parentless, Nathaniel and Rachel find themselves not really parentless after all.

The descriptions of London at this time are outstanding, as is the view of a young boy at the strange life he is finding himself in. He is half adult/half child, the writing capturing perfectly this half formed world that teenagers live in.

The years pass, the children become adults, the secrets of these years are discovered. Which I will not reveal! Suffice to say that not only is the story unusual, wonderful and in its own way satisfying, it is the writing, the characters, the how and why of things that happen that is quite simply divine. The author is a genius of the English language. I will be buying my own copy, and it will join 'The English Patient' on my shelf.

It's impossible to not wonder at the writing ability of Ondaatje, so why three stars?

The idea of the book is interesting, the effect of a mother's secret life on her children. Yet it is largely the story of women told by a man. Not Ondaatje but the narrator of the story, the son. There's something off that I haven't been able to put my finger on yet.

Two young teens "abandoned" by their parents in post-WWII London and how they ultimately reconcile their loss with the reality of their adult lives leads to revelations and twists that are completely unexpected but totally believable.

Ondaatje's strong sense of the time and story take you into a world you never would have imagined could exist but seem so real once you're surrounded by it.

2019 Walter Scott Prize long list

Nathaniel and his older sister Rachel are teenagers in the aftermath of WWII. Their father is absent. Suddenly, their mother informs them that she needs to leave to join their father and cannot take them with her. Instead she asks a gentleman Nathaniel and Rachel will come to nickname the Moth to live in their home and look after them during her absence. Written from Nathaniel’s perspective, this novel examines the happenings that occur and the characters who cross their lives while she is away. In addition to the Moth, there is the Darter who recruits Nathaniel and Rachel to assist him with his mission of acquiring and transporting greyhounds to various locations for racing, Olive Laurence, the Darter’s girlfriend for a time, who studies civilization, and “Agnes”, whom Nathaniel falls in love with.

What amazed me about this book was the utter lack of honesty between any of the characters. Nathaniel doesn’t learn until much later in life why his mother went away, why father is is perennially absent, or who the Moth is. In turn, he fails to tell Agnes who his parents are and how he feels about her. Most distressing is the divide that occurs between Nathaniel and Rachel who eventually fall out of touch with each other. An interesting read at times, but also vague in general.

Not sure how to rate this
Gorgeous writing but I didn't feel connected to the characters or story

A coming of age novel set in post WWII England. A teenage boy and his sister are left in London with a male friend of the family while the parents go abroad "on business." Fascinating details about spycraft, the boy's emotional life--and some unforgettable characters. Beautifully written. I and another friend loved this book; two other friends who are usually on the same page didn't like it.