Almost five months ago I sailed across the Caspian sea with three friends. The Cat’s Table captures that magic of the great open sea, the unknown world of a slow ship and the fascinating mosaic of people that sail with you. We were, like Mynah, filled with a childish wonder and awe and nervous excitement at being stuck in such an open space.
The book is a half fantastical, mostly magical realism, where like any great story the most interesting characters are the lowliest. We see the world through the eyes of a naïve and innocent boy as adventure and daring unfolds: a criminal kept on board, an upper class baron turned thief, escapades in port towns. Ondaatje treats characters with great love, as each person on the ship with our protagonist is filled out from mystery into someone even more mysterious, because they’re real. Somehow The Cat’s Table captures how we become to understand people and their emotions, how we learn to empathise and cry and love.
Ondaatje’s story flicks between the protagonist’s current middle-aged life and his memories on the boat. He speaks how his time on the ship was a time he will never forget, with essential friends. I am forever grateful to Ondaatje for capturing not the words spoken and events occurred on our voyage, but the exploration and companionship we felt soaring across that expanse.