The English Patient: Difference between revisions

A 1992 novel by Canadian author Michael Ondaatje. The book opens in an abandoned villa in [[World War Two]] Italy, where Hana, a Canadian army nurse, cares for a man referred to as the English Patient. He refuses to reveal his identity, but his speech and mannerisms indicate that he's an Englishman (his status as a patient is considerably less ambiguous, given that he's being treated for critical burns all over his body). Hana and the Patient are joined by David Caravaggio, a Canadian thief who knew Hana before the war, and who worked as an Allied spy until he was captured and maimed; and Kip, an Indian Sikh who's one of the best sappers in the British army. The story sprawls out [[Anachronic Order|non-linearly]], digging into each character's backstory, with running themes of nationality, nationalism, and the [[Power of Love]].

 

----

{{tropelist}}