I might have said this before in one or two reviews but I find the 1950s a fascinating decade so when I heard the latest Ondjaate was out and what the subject matter was I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the book! And of course I wasn’t disappointed. What a brilliant evocation of not just the decade but the glasshouse effect of shipboard life. I know what its like to be a child and have a great area to roam over. In the 1960s at around the same age as Michael, I had the run of an holiday park in Queensland – hotel, motel, two swimming pools, two caravan parks, takeaway shop, private beach and it was all such bliss! He captures this feeling so well and also the tentative relationships at the Cat’s Table. I love the gradual unfolding of each person’s character and the mysteries behind some. At times the chapters were a little bit short but about half way through the book I noticed that each small chapter was slowly building and building to a climax and then of course I couldn’t put the book down. For me Ondjaate has captured the viewpoint of an eleven year old so skillfully. When we are seeing everything through Mynah’s eyes, it is all within the reach of a child’s understanding. The viewpoint completely changes when we hear the much older Michael speak. But for me, strangely enough, my favourite character is Miss Lasqueti and when we are immersed in her viewpoint, that is when the lyrical, highly sophisticated writing (that I associate with Ondjaate) really comes to the fore and takes my breath away. Very highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a terrific picture of life on board ship, and the boys were totally believable