Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje

Timeline and Characters
1917	Rose – age 8 Marsh Felon – age 16, family of thatchers, fell off roof
1919	Rose – 10 Marsh Felon – returned for Rose’s family while at university
1923	Rose - 14 Marsh Felon – 22, roof climber, recruited Rose Ruth Howard – roof climber, recruited Felon
1945	Rose Williams and husband went away to war, “Viola” Nathaniel – 14, “Stitch” Rachel – “Wren” “The Moth” – Walter Norman Marshall – “The Darter” Arthur McCash Olive Lawrence – geographer and ethnographer Agnes – Nathaniel’s friend Harry Nkoma – Criterion Hotel
1949	Nathaniel – 18 Rose – 40, killed (during funeral someone went through house and removed papers, clothing, etc.) Marsh Felon – came to funeral, tried to talk to Nathaniel Sam and Linette Malakite – important in Nathaniel’s life before Rose killed
1959	Nathaniel – 28, job at Foreign Office Rachael – son Walter Linette Malakite – sold Nathaniel her house, did not remember him Arthur McCash Marsh Felon – working in Foreign Office, “legend” (page 191) “The Darter” – wife Sophie/Agnes, daughter Pearl

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1. In 1959, when Nathaniel was working at the Foreign Office, he went back in the files for information about his parents and the people who took care of him and Rachael while their parents were gone, but he could not find any of them in the files.  Why?  What happened to them?
2. Who was Arthur McCash?  He first appeared in 1945 (pages 100 – 104), then again when Nathaniel was working in the Foreign Office (page 143 and 153).  Besides “The Darter,” why was he the only one Nathaniel had any contact with from the initial group of caretakers?
3. Marsh Felon is a main character in the novel, and yet we do not know many details about his adult life.  Should he have felt responsible for Rose’s death?
4. Why was Rose killed after the war had ended?
5. Why didn’t the author give any information about Rose’s husband?
6. Why was Rachel such a minor character?  She was never close to Rose after the attempted kidnapping.  Was this understandable?  Why did she choose to not keep in contact with Nathaniel?
7. Many war and spy novels focus on the spies and people involved in the war.  This novel focused on the family left behind.  Did you gain any insights?  Did you look at the people actually involved in the war any differently?
8. Discuss your reading experience with this book.  Was it easy to follow?  Did you enjoy it?  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?

*****
First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as an eBook and hard copy from amazon.com and hard copy from wordassociation.com.