Bedouins saved him, exploited his vast knowledge of weapons, then somehow got him to a hospital in Pisa. As his narrative keeps doubling back, we learn of his familiarity with the desert and of the violent and illicit love affair that led him into that burning airplane. Caravaggio begins to suspect that he is not really English. Yet despite all its plot, the novel also conveys a sense of time having ground to a stop. The resulting vacuum increases the force of the imagery and heightens our anticipation of some calamity bearing down.
Curious details stick out.
They do not need to go as deep into a pocket. The great distance of half an inch. Unfortunately, you can't always trust the plot. Nor can you invariably trust the language. Increasingly as the plot winds down and the vacuum of timelessness intensifies, Mr. Ondaatje relies on precious language to convey the novel's feeling.