Rachel and Nathaniel were still teenagers when immediately after WW II their parents packed to leave the country. The kids were supposed to attend boarding school after summer break, but only a few days after the school had begun again, they left and went completely to live with a man they named „The Moth“ who was supposed to be their caretaker while the parents were away. Even though they at first felt left behind, it was a time of freedom and carelessness, the house often full of interesting and mysterious people and both, Nathaniel and Rachel, became somehow used to the situation. When their mother suddenly showed up again, they understood that things were not what they had thought them to be. It was only after their mother’s death, when Nathaniel is approached by special operations, that he gains insight in who his mother had actually been.

“Warlight” – during the time of the second world war, when there were frequent blackouts in London, there was only the so called “Warlight”, dimmed lights to guide emergency traffic, the rest was covered in black and you could only sense movements in the shadow but not see them. This is the perfect title for Michael Ondaatje’s novel: a lot of what happens remains somewhere in the dark for the protagonist to see. He can only assume things from the quick glances he is granted, but he cannot be sure if his hypotheses are correct. It also represents quite well the atmosphere which is always a bit gloomy and melancholy and certainly never joyful.

At the beginning of the novel, the reader just as the protagonist and narrator is quite irritated by the parents’ behaviour. They leave the country, neither telling their children where exactly they are headed too or why after all they have to leave. The teenagers stay with people they hardly know and not to forget: the war has just ended and the memories of the bombings are still fresh. How could ever parents do such a thing? It becomes even more infuriating when they find their mother’s luggage which she obviously didn’t take with her. It takes some time to figure out the mother’s real role and thus to understand her behaviour. This is also when the novel becomes the most interesting.

This is also where Michael Ondaatje’s virtuosity becomes evident: none of the characters, no matter how random he or she seemed, was introduced without a reason and they all have their specific role in the novel. It all makes sense and culminates in much greater questions than the nucleus of a single family we are presented with at first can ever offer: how far would you go for your country? What are you willing to sacrifice? And it clearly shows that the two categories of “good” and “bad” are simply inadequate for the world we are living in.

I love thrillers, and I love spy stories, and I love great literature that inspires me intellectually. Sometimes you get all those in one book - but not very often. Well - this is one of those books where it all comes together. This is a story of spies, and children of spies, and the friends of their parents that were part of the children's lives - and it is all totally believable and delightful to read. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year so far.

I liked this book, but in a way there was too much of it. Too many secrets, too many people involved for no clear reasons and mostly too much drama anyway. It's not something I couldn't have expected from Ondaatje, but it still something that I am not able to appreciate so much.

Questo libro non mi é dispiaciuto, ma in qualche modo era eccessivo. Troppi segreti, troppi personaggi poco chiari e soprattutto troppo dramma. Non é che uno si potesse aspettare qualcosa di particolarmente di verso dall'autore ma in qualche modo, io non sono in grado di apprezzarlo come dovrei.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

In the aftermath of WWII 14-year-old Nathaniel and his sister are left in the care of a mysterious man they nickname The Moth and his possibly criminal cohorts. Warlight follows Nathaniel’s adventures with this eccentric lot and his efforts to discover why his mother seemingly abandoned him.

This coming of age story is unfortunately a disjointed and at times confusing novel. During most of the book we’re told his mother was involved with a secret government agency and that Nathaniel has heard stories about her war service. But these are only vague references for such a key plot point and we never get to hear those stories or discover their source.

Warlight (Knopf, digital galley) was written by Michael Onjaaatje, who also wrote The English Patient, which was turned into a movie. His latest effort, however, is an opaque and enigmatic book that leaves too many questions unanswered.

I did a silent librarian cheer when found out I was approved for this digital arc. I have read a number of Michael Ondaatje's previous novels and this is the literary title I was most looking forward to this year. You know that feeling when you're apprehensive about whether a new book is going to live up to the author's previous works? Yeah I had that feeling...but then I read Warlight...

And it lived up to all of my hopes and expectations. The plot follows a period of time just after WWII and is focused on the experiences of Nathaniel & his sister, Rachel, after they are essentially abandoned in London by their mysterious parents. They are cared for by an odd assortment of characters. In later parts of the novel, Nathaniel follows more deeply the story of his mother. The weaving of timelines and characters is so finely done & I felt like I do about many WWII-based fiction right now, that it is timely as well. For me, though, the writing itself is the star of the book. This kind of mastery of the written word is the reason literary fiction readers love literary fiction.

For literary fiction fans, this is one of the year's best, and I'm so looking forward to revisiting it once it is released.

In this novel of light and shadow and fog, Nathaniel and his sister are left in the care of a mysterious stranger when their parents take a year's leave of absence away from London. Except that these two teenagers discover that the trunk their mother packed is still in the basement and they have no idea where she actually went or why, nor do they ever hear from their father again. Their lives take on a surreal quality as they become acquainted with quirky and unexplained characters who pass through their house, and Nathaniel gets involved with some shady operations throughout London. It seems that there are no hard edges to Nathaniel's existence during this period, and even when the mother reappears it is difficult to pinpoint what is going on with him practically and emotionally. Ondaatje's skill turns this somewhat eerie tale into a strangely affecting portrait of a certain time and place and rootlessness.

This book started out well and left me wondering why the characters were in their situation but then it seemed to fizzle out. The reader is left with many unanswered questions and plot lines which are never finished. It ends quite abruptly. I really enjoyed the English Patient and thought this was going to be just as good, but I'm afraid I was disappointed.

Very well written, with excellent characters and a great story. I have a lot of customers who will enjoy this book and look forward to getting it into their hands. Thanks for the chance to read the e-galley!

Beginning as I do at the beginning, and taking two steps back to reflect, I have to say that I was ready (and raring) to give "Warlight" a bad review. Especially after I read some of the other reviews on the work. However, upon the completion of those two important backward steps and the conviction that my old Canadian Literature professor would be gravely disappointed that I didn't "dig deeper," I have come to a very different conclusion.

For fans of Ondaatje, you are well aware that the words "linear narrative" and his name are rarely, if ever, found together. Ondaatje doesn't believe in going from A to B to C. Instead, he prefers to go A to X to G back to X (briefly) and then to B. And he does all this without telling the reader what he's up to. Conclusively then, many details are lost, key plot points are forgotten, and trying to connect with the characters is exceedingly difficult to do. And while many readers have found this narrative style frustrating, I think it actually works in favor for "Warlight" and enhances the meaning of the novel. This disorientation that we as the readers feel is the perfect juxtaposition to Nathaniel's upbringing as he too is passed from parent to caregiver to caregiver back to parent. Ondaatje is passing along the bewilderment and desperation that Nathaniel experiences as he tries to reconcile with who he is and where he came from.

Another point of contention with this work is the ending. Again, I was more than ready to highlight the failure of this non-ending and tell you what a slap in the face it was. And indeed, it is. There *is* no ending for Nathaniel. He literally walks into another room with a piece of clothing of his mother's and that's it.

Thanks Ondaatje.

So understandably, many readers have denounced this novel as being a "coming-of-age" story. But here's what I realized when I walked away from the novel: of course there's no reconciliation for Nathaniel. He's still searching. He still has questions that need answering. He still needs to heal from the loss he's experienced and his traumatic upbringing. It IS tragic and I think Ondaatje MEANT to slap us in the face with the ending (at least, I hope so. If not, that's not very cool, Ondaatje) as Nathaniel is left bereft and lost. The reader is right there along with him as we close the book and think, "Wait, what? That's it?" because it IS for Nathaniel. At least for now. And that's what makes this work rather special and the one time that Ondaatje's scattering narrative works in his favor.

A novel woven in beautiful language and poetic imagery, "Warlight" is a complex work that will strike the reader in the heart as we mourn for the characters who are still looking for their guiding lights to bring them home.

I think the best thing about this book is the cast of interesting characters. At first I just didn't really like some of them, but as the story unfolds the author shows us how people really are never just one thing and are much more complex than we often give them credit for.
The narrator, Nathaniel, examines his youth at the end of World War II and the disappearance of his parents. He and his sister are told that his parents are going to Asia for a year or two for his father's job. An old family friend becomes their caretaker as well as a host of other strange people that are in and out of their house. Shortly after his mother leaves (joining the father already in Asia) her children discover that she didn't really go to Asia after all. The question becomes where is she really and why did she leave? And why did she leave her children in the care of such strange people?
This is part coming of age story, part mystery, as Nathaniel tries to understand what his mother was really involved in during World War II and the years after. The relationships in the story are complex, strained by the secrecy and turmoil of those earlier years. This isn't a quick breezy book, but rather a meaty story to sink your teeth into and really think about.

meh....sometimes the language is lovely, sometimes not. I can't get engaged with the main characters...it all seems contrived to make the "story" work....I cannot imagine it getting any better
@50% DNF.

Nice story, though I felt the narratives switched too much.