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"One village can speak for many villages. One victim can speak for many victims."

Anil Tissera, a forensic pathologist, returned to her native Sri Lanka after studying abroad. She is sponsored by a human rights group to investigate the mysterious deaths and disappearances during the civil war. The people were living in constant danger with atrocities committed by all three groups fighting in the 1980s war--the government, the separatists, and the insurgents.

Anil is paired with archaeologist Sarath Diyasena. They unearth four skeletons in a government-controlled area which they nickname Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, and Sailor. The first three skeletons are ancient, but Sailor is a recent victim who has been reburied. Sarath is immersed in history while his brother, a surgeon, deals with the victims of terrorism on a daily basis.

"Anil's Ghost" is partially a detective story as they work to identify Sailor. But this is literary fiction written in Michael Ondaatje's style with small glimpses or fragments of events, mixed with flashbacks, that all come together at the end. This is a story about identity, grief, and the futility of war. The characters are loners, devoted to their work, but often overwhelmed by tragedy. The beauty of the island of Sri Lanka, south of India, contrasts with the darkness of the story. Ondaatje, who is also a poet, wrote the book in beautiful prose. A glimmer of hope at the end kept the story from being relentlessly tragic.