Running in the family

June 12, 1:55 PMSan Diego Literature ExaminerJeremy Albers

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Michael Ondaatje mixes fact and fiction in his memoir Running in the Family. Based on his late 1970’s return to Sri Lanka, Ondaatje blends tales of his family with abstract poetry that is extremely unique in style. Ondaatje is best known for his 1992 novel The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize and was later turned into the Academy Award winning movie. www.salon.com/nov96/ondaatje961118.html
 

Intoxicated shenanigans of his father Mervyn are a poignant part of the life and love diagramed in this humorous collection of stories. The entire tone of this book has an otherworldly feel to it. The metaphors used are very out of the ordinary and extremely thought provoking. What does a crow swimming in milk sound like? Ondaatje sprinkles in poetry seamlessly, as the language throughout is very poetic. These verses create a bridge back and forth, from abstract to reality. dianashamdai.blogspot.com/2008/06/sweet-like-crow.html
 

Each story is a dip into the Ondaatje family and their whimsical nature. In “The War Between Men and Women”, his grandmother Lalla is fondled while on a crowded bus. When she looks down she smiles to herself. Ondaatje writes, “She had not felt a thing. Her left breast had been removed five years earlier and he was ardently fondling the sponge beneath her gown.”
 

First published in 1982, Running in the Family runs the full spectrum of emotions and is a shining example of the ecclectic behaviors exhibited within a family. Michael Ondaatje's has created a transcendant world for his readers. Based in historical fact, the creative liberties heighten the imagery and allow the journey to take shape. michaelondaatje.com/