Michael

Michael is the novel's narrator and protagonist. When the story opens, he is an eleven year-old boy about to take a sea voyage by himself to be reunited with his mother. Initially, no name is given for him. He soon meets two other boys his age, who nickname him Mynah but eventually it is revealed that his real first name is the same as that of the author. He thinks his nickname is inspired by an ability to parrot what he overhears on the ship, and by the slight untrustworthiness of the mynah's mimicking. He keeps a journal of what people say, displaying excerpts from it throughout the novel. Michael is a bright but wounded boy, whose parents separated and left him in the care of an uncle in Colombo. He feels emptiness in his life, and fears that he is emotionally cold. On the ship, he is...