Taking place in a Wild West setting, The Collected works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje focuses on the life of notorious western cowboy, Billy the Kid. Unlike traditional novels in which the story is told in a linear, or mostly linear, fashion where events happen one after the other in chronological order, this book is made up of the accounts of various individuals writing on their thoughts and beliefs revolving around Billy instead of a narrator following his life directly.

Using a blend of poetry, prose, and various pictures, the novel uses these accounts in order to create for the reader a sense of who Billy is based not on their own impression of him, but rather the impressions of those who write the accounts. On the opening page of the book there is a “picture” of Billy provided to the reader. In reality, this picture is just a blank square that reveals nothing of who Billy is as a character but this is the authors intention. In providing the reader with nothing to base their opinions on, Ondaatje forces readers to create their own impression of who Billy is based on the various accounts provided.

In doing this, Ondaatje is able to create a story that differs greatly from reader to reader. Some accounts portray Billy in a vastly negative light, while others portray him as a sort of folk hero. When reading this book, one can rest assured that the image and impression that they themselves have build within their own mind of the type of person Billy the Kid is will be unlike the impression held by any other reader.