Michael Ondaatje’s 8th novel is absolutely spellbinding. I loved every bit of this story about a young man piecing together his family history.
Description: Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel and his sister, Rachel, are unexpectedly abandoned by their parents and left in the care of a gentle, but strange man who they call The Moth. Things are not totally on the up and up but it’s post-war London and everything is in flux.
The two kids are sent to boarding school, from which they quickly escape. The Moth organizes for them to continue school but live in the family home. While home, they are introduced to a motley crew of men and women who all have strange or mysterious careers.
A dozen years later, with fading romances and petty crime sprees, Nathaniel starts piecing it all together.
This is the story of an absent mother and the havoc it causes for her children. But it’s melancholic rather than tragic. And Ondaatje beautifully pulls back layer upon layer of emotion. It’s sentimental and sad but also invigorating.
Favourite Moment: Nathaniel starts doing night runs with the Darter on the Thames. The Darter is legally importing greyhounds.
…it was our nights on the mussel boat I loved. The boat, originally a sailing kotter, had now been equipped with a modern diesel. The Darter was borrowing it from “a respected dockland merchant,” who needed it only three days a week; unless, he warned us, a royal wedding was suddenly announced, which would mean the hurried importation of cheap crockery with a royal image fired up and shipped from some satanic mill in Le Havre. In that event the transportation of dogs would have to be postponed.
The Darter is quite an influential figure for Nathaniel. He’s a lady’s man, loves a boat, is mildly nefarious, and above all has his eye out for Nathaniel and Rachel.
Warlight is perfect for anyone who wants a satisfying read. If you liked All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, you’ll like this too. Or if you’re a fan of post-war London novels, a fan of Ondaatje, Canadian writers, then give this a read.