A nameless, burned man (the ‘English’ patient) lies in an upstairs room in an Italian villa towards the end of the Second World War. He is tended by a Canadian nurse, Hana. Through his flashback memories we learn of a passionate love affair, betrayal and tragedy in North Africa as the gigantic forces of conflict intersect with the lives of an exotic group of individuals on a mission.
Brought to the screen in 1996 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116209/?ref_=sr_1) by Anthony Minghella in a glorious production with Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Willem Dafoe. The landscape cinematography of the Sahara alone is worth watching this film for. Available on DVD at http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-English-Patient-DVD/dp/B004XBOG6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1374471695&sr=1-1&keywords=english+patient.
321 pages in Bloomsbury Publishing paperback edition.
ISBN 978-0747572596
Michael Ondaatje