The Cat's Table

I liked The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje which is the story of a man, Michael (or Mynah) looking back on his past when he travels from Ceylon to England in the mid-1950s when he was aged 11. He and his two friends encounter many adventures on board. In his middle-age he looks back on those events with mature eyes and see some quite differently. The "cat's table" is the opposite of the captain's table and there are some interesting characters who dine there each day. Michael and his friends are "unaccompanied", travelling to meet relatives in England so they have almost free rein on board the ship. He and his friends go their separate ways after arrival in England and many years go by before he discusses the journey with them. Michael meets up with his cousin Emily after many years and they discuss a particular incident which they both learn was played out differently to what they thought at the time. Perhaps as our memories mature so does our interpretation of them. 31/2/5