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Anil's Ghost Paperback – 1 September 2011

by Michael Ondaatje (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 992 ratings
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Anil's Ghost transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition, now forced into the late twentieth century by the ravages of the civil war. Into this maelstrom steps Anil Tissera, a young woman born in Sri Lanka sent by an international human rights group as a forensic anthropologist to investigate the campaigns of organised slaughter engulfing the island. What follows is a story about love, about family, about identity, about the unknown enemy, about the quest to unlock the hidden past - a story driven by a riveting mystery.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    VINTAGE ARROW - MASS MARKET
  4. Publication date
    1 September 2011
  5. Dimensions
    12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    9780099554455
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0099554455
  8. See all details
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Review

There is much to astonish, to disturb and to admire in this dense book... a rare triumph, Guardian

This is why I read, this is why literature matters, this, in short, is IT!... By the closing pages Anil's Ghost has come as close to a holy book as a novel ever should, Independent

A deeply felt and highly accomplished survey of devastated paradise... which both plunges you into the carnage of Sri Lanka's civil war and keeps you aware of the island's past splendours of civilisation. Barbarity and art hauntingly mingle in this fine book, Sunday Times

It is Ondaatje's extraordinary achievement to use magic in order to make the blood of his own country real... Nowhere has he written more beautifully, New York Times Book Review

A truly wondrous book... I was as enthralled as I have not been since The English Patient -- Ariel Dorfman, author of Death and the Maiden

Book Description

From the author of The English Patient and Running in the Family, a breathtaking novel about love and the horrors of civil war.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0099554453
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ VINTAGE ARROW - MASS MARKET; 1st edition (1 September 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780099554455
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0099554455
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 992 ratings

About the author

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Michael Ondaatje

Michael Ondaatje

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Michael Ondaatje is the author of several novels, as well as a memoir, a nonfiction book on film, and several books of poetry. Among his many Canadian and international recognitions, his novel The English Patient won the 1992 Man Booker Prize, was adapted into a multi-award winning Oscar movie, and was awarded the Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018; Anil’s Ghost won the Giller Prize, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and the Prix Médicis; and Warlight was longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Born in Sri Lanka, Michael Ondaatje lives in Toronto.

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Top reviews from Australia

MEREDITH READ
5.0 out of 5 stars Sri Lanka, read before you visit.
Reviewed in Australia on 19 February 2019
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As always Michael Ondaatje’s exquisite writing exposes both the beauty and horror of life in Sri Lanka allowing us to feel deeply for those involved and understand some of the complex political and religious conflict. A wonderful book to read before seeing Sri Lanka, I loved it.
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Gloria sharp
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing read. Thank you Ondaatje
Reviewed in Australia on 18 April 2016
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Stunning writing. An amazing read. Thank you Ondaatje .
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MisterHobgoblin
2.0 out of 5 stars Dem bones...
Reviewed in Australia on 18 October 2015
Anil is a forensic archaeologist, Sri Lankan by birth and returning to the nation of her birth as part of an international scheme of cooperation to investigate murders. She is assigned to work in partnership with Sarath, a local forensic archaeologist (I have waited all my life to meet one and then two come along at once!), presumably employed by the Sri Lankan Government.

Sarath has been assigned a number of skeletons to look at, found at an ancient burial site. Anil quickly determines that some of the skeletons are not ancient at all, and given the Government controls access to the burial site, is presumably responsible for putting the bodies there. Anil is determined to uncover the identity of one of the bodies…

Thus far, there have been a couple of imponderables. Firstly, why would Sarath have had the bodies in the first place. If the site was well known and preserved, there would be no reason to dig up bodies. And secondly, if Sarath had thought the bodies were ancient, why was he showing them to Anil whose sole remit is to investigate murders.

What follows starts to look like a real slice of Sri Lankan life. I had the good fortune to be in Sri Lanka whilst reading this, and some of the atmosphere – the rain, the arrack, the roads, the forest – all rang true. But after a while, it looks like a framing device for a series of anecdotes about instances of brutality and learning about ancient Sri Lankan culture. The plot, thin, though it was, just evaporates. Meanwhile, we get a breakneck tour of Sri Lankan place names (was there a single sizeable town that wasn’t mentioned?) but little sense of actual place. Anil and Sarath travel and set up operations in a variety of locations without any obvious difficulty, rope in assistants and leave muddy footprints everywhere. There is little logic to their actions; and their successes seem to be based on improbable flukes of circumstance.

There is little exploration if the nature of the conflict. There are, we are told, three groups – the Government, the opposition, and the Tamil separatists. However, we are not told about their respective positions, their territory, their identity. The war has no background, it is just a state of being. It seems to sweep up anybody and everybody. I can understand that Michael Ondaatje did not want to take sides and wanted to avoid a lengthy history lesson, but this just feels to far removed from any physical reality.

I had high hopes of the novel and there was some intrigue built into the opening chapters (including why the female protagonist had a male name). But by the end, I felt that I didn’t know much more about Sri Lanka and didn’t particularly believe in Anil or Sarath.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Aura of sadness
Reviewed in India on 22 September 2018
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The book took me to another depth of understanding what happened in Sri Lanka during that period - much more disturbing than just reading the news during those times. There is so much underlying sadness in all his books and it really touches your heart
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Lisa Niver
5.0 out of 5 stars Important views about Sri Lanka
Reviewed in the United States on 25 October 2010
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I read this book while I was in Sri Lanka. I think the stories and perspective really helped me to speak to the people while I was there. There was so much more I wanted to ask but was not sure what was appropriate. This book helped me to understand some of the conflict during the War.

I wrote about this book recently:
Article first published as Sri Lanka: To Go or Not To Go? on Technorati.
After the 30 year civil war ended, we decided to go to Sri Lanka last summer. Our friends enjoyed a month of great travel in September 2009 and encouraged us to go.

Wondering about the impact of so many years of war, I was worried about this trip. When we arrived, I learned that there had been 450 years of Dutch, Portugese and British rule before the civil war. I decided to ask as many questions as I could.

During our six weeks in Sri Lanka, I was constantly amazed by the friendliness of the people. Everyone wanted to talk to us and tell us how happy they are that the war is over, that there is peace, and that they can now travel in their own country.

The young students we met at Anuradhapurna were from the East and no one had been able to travel to this incredible ancient site for decades. A large group of adults came by bus from Colombo to Nilaveli Beach and all the men wanted to shake our American hands, offer us drinks and ask, "Sri Lanka good?"

We told them, "Yes Sri Lanka is good. The people are so friendly." Perhaps the friendliest I have ever met in the 100+ countries I have seen! During our trip, I read several books of both fiction and non-fiction about Sri Lanka. Reading about string hoppers (noodles made of rice) while eating them for breakfast added to the entertainment.

Reading about the government secret killings and clashes between Tamils and Singhalese in Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost was spellbinding. What really happened I wondered? To read about the drama and struggle of women's daily lives from the point of view of Latha and Biso, two main characters in Ru Freedman's A Disobedient Girl, and then to see it was eye opening.

I turned to Jewish World Watch to discover more about the conflict in Sri Lanka. In their June World Crisis Update, Susan Brooks wrote: "Since 1983, Sri Lanka has suffered from continuous conflict between the government and a separatist rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (often known as the Tamil Tigers).

The conflict is estimated to have killed up to 80,000 people with over one million displaced...Both sides may have committed war crimes...Sri Lankan refugees are still living in transit camps while the land is being de-mined...The government continues to hold 11,000 alleged LTTE in 'rehabilitation centers with no legal representation, no access by human rights groups or relatives."

Our journey did not include the North and Jafna, foreigners were told you needed permission by the government to venture to the Far North. Many locals told us that they can and will go to Jafna but we were not allowed. I am not sure what the conditions are but the JWW report makes me wonder and so does the book Not Quite Paradise by Adele Barker.

Both sources indicate that there are ongoing issues. Staying at the YMBA (Young Man's Buddhist Association) in Kataragama and enjoying the pilgrimage festival, it appears that all is well. However, traveling the two or so "blocks" from our hostel to the beach in Nilaveli past barbed wire and Singhalese Buddhist soldiers makes me wonder. The security checks on the bus near Arugam Bay seemed more for alcohol than bombs but it is hard to know as an outsider.

I hope that tourism will continue to flourish along with peace, sealed roads and more freedom to travel. This small island nation is beautiful with treasures of ancient cities, national parks filled with elephants and leopards and wonderful welcoming people. I highly recommend making the effort to visit this wonderful country. Auyobawan and Stuti (Good bye and thank you).
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5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2013
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Set in Sri Lanka, a story about loss, trust, the past and letting go. Tells the story of the atrocities of the civil war in Sri Lanka while the central character comes back to her own country and revisits the past and comes to terms with how her country has been hiding its past. strong characterisation of the central characters. Very atmospheric.
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Lulu 24
4.0 out of 5 stars like
Reviewed in Canada on 15 June 2019
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very good read
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DHANESH.M
4.0 out of 5 stars pleasure to read.
Reviewed in India on 13 June 2015
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Enjoyed reading.
thought sometime a bit like beating about the bough
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