In the Skin of a Lion (1987) is the prequel novel to Ondaatje's The English Patient. Set in Canada between the World Wars, the novel features the characters Caravaggio and Hana, who are important figures in The English Patient, but focuses mainly on Hana's father Patrick. The novel shares some of its major themes with The English Patient, including the examination of personal grief and anguish.

Like The English Patient, Ondaatje's novel Coming through Slaughter does not stick to a chronological narrative but rather pieces together the life of jazz legend Buddy Bolden through a collage of imagery and anecdotes. It was first published in 1976.

Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost (2000) is set in Sri Lanka, Ondaatje's native country. The novel is about the work of a forensics specialist sent by the United Nations to investigate the brutal civil war that tore the island...