jack_wattiaux's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yuvraj's review against another edition
3.0
this book took me embarrassingly long to finish - it's a story of one man's journey north in a post war sri lanka.
i would say the plot is 10% if the novel. the rest is flashback stories about his life in a divided sri lanka. i wanted to like this more than i did but i wish he wrote it as a collection of short stories rather than create this irrelevant plot to sew flashback scenes in.
but i will say
1. generational tramua is real. so real - and this is the best explanation of its effects on the individual - especially the non white individual
2. the depiction of the relationship between grandmother and grandson was heartbreaking (and the added south asian context made it even harder to read)
i would say the plot is 10% if the novel. the rest is flashback stories about his life in a divided sri lanka. i wanted to like this more than i did but i wish he wrote it as a collection of short stories rather than create this irrelevant plot to sew flashback scenes in.
but i will say
1. generational tramua is real. so real - and this is the best explanation of its effects on the individual - especially the non white individual
2. the depiction of the relationship between grandmother and grandson was heartbreaking (and the added south asian context made it even harder to read)
nabilahs's review against another edition
4.0
A Passage North is shortlisted for The 2021 Booker Prize and deserved to make it into the list.
An English language book with Sri Lanka's writer, a big YES. Glad that I pick up this book, where I can learn more on Tamil lit and poems.
The story tells us about Krishan's breathtaking train journey to Northern Province in Sri Lanka after he received news the death of his grandmother's caretaker, Rani. Along the train journey, Krishan reminisces the old memories about his past lover, Sri Lanka war trauma, and meditation.
Anuk uses the coma style instead of a full stop (period style), in which one sentence could take 2 pages to describe the inner voice. To be surprised, this book only has 1 dialogue, in format of lit fiction. The author depicts in detail how Rani still suffered from war trauma (SLA war) in 2008 - 2009.
A Passage North prolly one of the most introspective books I've ever read this year. A meditative and reflective prose with the prime themes of religion, war and self-conscious, A Passage North is one of my favorite lit fictions.
An English language book with Sri Lanka's writer, a big YES. Glad that I pick up this book, where I can learn more on Tamil lit and poems.
The story tells us about Krishan's breathtaking train journey to Northern Province in Sri Lanka after he received news the death of his grandmother's caretaker, Rani. Along the train journey, Krishan reminisces the old memories about his past lover, Sri Lanka war trauma, and meditation.
Anuk uses the coma style instead of a full stop (period style), in which one sentence could take 2 pages to describe the inner voice. To be surprised, this book only has 1 dialogue, in format of lit fiction. The author depicts in detail how Rani still suffered from war trauma (SLA war) in 2008 - 2009.
A Passage North prolly one of the most introspective books I've ever read this year. A meditative and reflective prose with the prime themes of religion, war and self-conscious, A Passage North is one of my favorite lit fictions.
hjrdl's review against another edition
5.0
if this isn’t a modern classic i’ll lose faith in humanity
nyssa_'s review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It took me a while to get thru this one because it feels like I’m reading a sea of words. I was hoping for more background and context around the Sri Lankan war.
asrazaidi2's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
parsnipsnap's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0