Running in the Family

This memoir is a lot different from the others that we have read. So far, it seems like this is more about the family, and less about the actual author. At this stage in the other two novels, you know a lot about the author. After the first reading in this though, I know pretty much nothing about the author. So far it seems more of a history of this guys family. I know a lot more about Michael's father then I know about him. The writing style thus far is a lot different too. Ondaatje has a simple writing style, but then throws in some big words, and it just isn't fun reading at this point. It has been really hard to get through this because it seems like it skips, and there is not a lot of anything happening. I am having trouble trying to figure out what is going on, and often find myself trying to go back and pick up things I missed, or that I just didn't remember from a page ago. Monsoon Notebook (i) is a perfect example of this. It is a really short chapter, much like the rest of this book, but one of the pages us a full paragraph. The way that this is structured is just difficult to read, but also I just don't know what the chapter is saying. I try to reread it, but just get lost and do not find much of what is going on. This comes after they were in Ceylon looking for paperwork of Reverend Jurgen Ondaatje, then the memoir goes into talking about his oldest son Simon. I just find it difficult trying to follow the story of the book.