Autobiographical account of a Sri Lanka born Canadian, woven around his journey through Sri Lanka.

This is a fascinating story of a past rediscovered through a remarkable journey to one of the most exotic countries in the world – Sri Lanka. Full of drama and history, it not only relives the incredible story of a man-eating leopard that terrorized the tiny village of Punanai in the early part of the century, but also allows the author to come to terms with the ghost of his charismatic but tyrannical father. In his photographs and his highly personal narrative, Christopher Ondaatje has captured all of the exotic drama of Sri Lanka: the jungles of Yala, the family tea estate, the ancient ruined cities, and, eventually, the strife-torn village of Punanai – now the scene of a different terror.