Michael Ondaatje: The Cat's Table

Michael Ondaatje departs from form in

The Cat's Table (Vintage International), a novel of constant discovery that follows the journey of an eleven-year-old boy aboard a ship bound from Sri Lanka to England. As the story is recalled from the vantage of adulthood, the narrator's 21-day trip reveals itself as a passage through adolescence -- an exhilarating adventure, but also one that heralds the end of childhood. Ondaatje discusses his turn from concealment to revelation and reflects on the magic of youth.

Read an excerpt from The Cat's Table.