Warlight is Michael Ondaatje’s latest offering to the literary fiction genre. It is many things at once—a poignant coming of age story, a vivid glimpse into post-war life, an ode to the fraught thorniness of family, and a collection of detailed character studies. The gist of the story can be summed up with the protagonist’s observation: “The lost sequence in a life, they say, is the thing we always search out.”

Mr. Ondaatje is known for his nonlinear storytelling and his stunning prose, and in this tale, he showed his mastery of both. His chiaroscuro style is an echo of the overarching theme: some people will always be unknowable to us, even those with whom we should feel the closest, and oft times there are no answers to the unanswered questions of our lives. The writing itself is richly poetic, elegant and eloquent, lyrical and sophisticated, subtle and yet keenly, pointedly observant.

This is a tale of secrets and loss, mothers and sons, and the stories we tell ourselves to cope with lost childhood. There is no arguing that Mr. Ondaatje is a master craftsman. He is a tremendous talent, but he does not quite write books that are a pleasure to read. This book left me with the same impression his other work has, with an intense feeling of disquiet. But perhaps that is the point.

Highly recommended for fans of literary fiction in a historical setting