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narpetcards's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Self harm, Grief, and Medical trauma
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The plot of A Passage North may be sparse - Krishan travels by train from Colombo to northern Sri Lanka to attend a funeral - but there is actually a lot going on in this slim novel, most of it in his head. As he travels Krishnan’s memories traverse his grandmother and her career Rani, whose death in unusual circumstances led to his journey. He also recalls his time with his former girlfriend Anjum, from whom he recently received an unexpected email. And of course he mulls over Sri Lankan history, particularly the civil unrest and its effects on the north. The impacts of grief and the long lasting effects of trauma can be clearly seen.
The novel unfolds in a stream-of-consciousness style. The writing is lyrical yet compelling and wholly absorbing. It’s very much a quiet, insular novel whose power and impact creeps up on you slowly and increases the more you think about it. Which is fitting for a book so focused on the power of thought and memory to help us make sense of the journey life has taken us on.
Sensitive readers may need to take care towards the end of the book where Krishan muses in great detail about exactly what is happening to Rani’s body during the cremation process. I imagine this could be very triggering, especially to those who have recently suffered a loss.
Final Verdict - Very insular and literary. This one has got to be among the top contenders for the Booker.
The novel unfolds in a stream-of-consciousness style. The writing is lyrical yet compelling and wholly absorbing. It’s very much a quiet, insular novel whose power and impact creeps up on you slowly and increases the more you think about it. Which is fitting for a book so focused on the power of thought and memory to help us make sense of the journey life has taken us on.
Sensitive readers may need to take care towards the end of the book where Krishan muses in great detail about exactly what is happening to Rani’s body during the cremation process. I imagine this could be very triggering, especially to those who have recently suffered a loss.
Final Verdict - Very insular and literary. This one has got to be among the top contenders for the Booker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War
bentonnnn1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death
deedireads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Passage North is undoubtedly a beautiful and impressive novel. At times, it felt a bit over the top to me, but on the whole I liked it and I’m glad I read it.
For you if: You are open to experimental, description-heavy narration styles.
FULL REVIEW:
A Passage North was my first read from the 2021 Booker Prize longlist, and what a way to kick things off.
The book is about a Sri Lankan man named Krishan. Two things happen to kick us off: he receives an email from an ex-girlfriend, Anjum; and he learns that his grandmother’s former caretaker, Rani, has fallen down a well and died. The novel takes place over the following two days or so, as he travels north to Rani’s village to attend her funeral.
So much of this just feels like a Booker book — heavy themes, lyrical prose … and not a single bit of dialogue in the whole book, lol. There are conversations recounted and remembered, but none of them are written as dialogue. The whole novel takes place inside the thoughts and memories swirling around Krishan’s head — memories of his time at university, of stories and poems that moved him, of his relationship with Anjum, of his grandmother’s fierce denial of her aging body contrasted with Rani’s halfhearted battle with depression and PTSD.
Paragraphs go on for whole pages or more, while sentences go on forever and ever, never ceasing, as though they could keep going forever, as though you will never reach the end, twisting and turning around in his thoughts with momentum, with revision, and just when you think they’re concluding, there’s another clause, another comma, another line taunting you, making you feel as if you’re trapped for all eternity.
You know that feeling when you stay in a really fancy hotel or do something bougie and you’re like this is amazing, but also so extra? That’s how I felt about this book. The narration style often felt overworked, to the point where it was almost distracting. I did sink into it during some stretches, and the audiobook helped a LOT, and it really was a beautiful, impressive book. So I walked away feeling net positive.
If you love lyricism and you’re up for a challenge, give this one a shot. But if you’re not one for experimental styles, proceed with caution.
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Passage North is undoubtedly a beautiful and impressive novel. At times, it felt a bit over the top to me, but on the whole I liked it and I’m glad I read it.
For you if: You are open to experimental, description-heavy narration styles.
FULL REVIEW:
A Passage North was my first read from the 2021 Booker Prize longlist, and what a way to kick things off.
The book is about a Sri Lankan man named Krishan. Two things happen to kick us off: he receives an email from an ex-girlfriend, Anjum; and he learns that his grandmother’s former caretaker, Rani, has fallen down a well and died. The novel takes place over the following two days or so, as he travels north to Rani’s village to attend her funeral.
So much of this just feels like a Booker book — heavy themes, lyrical prose … and not a single bit of dialogue in the whole book, lol. There are conversations recounted and remembered, but none of them are written as dialogue. The whole novel takes place inside the thoughts and memories swirling around Krishan’s head — memories of his time at university, of stories and poems that moved him, of his relationship with Anjum, of his grandmother’s fierce denial of her aging body contrasted with Rani’s halfhearted battle with depression and PTSD.
Paragraphs go on for whole pages or more, while sentences go on forever and ever, never ceasing, as though they could keep going forever, as though you will never reach the end, twisting and turning around in his thoughts with momentum, with revision, and just when you think they’re concluding, there’s another clause, another comma, another line taunting you, making you feel as if you’re trapped for all eternity.
You know that feeling when you stay in a really fancy hotel or do something bougie and you’re like this is amazing, but also so extra? That’s how I felt about this book. The narration style often felt overworked, to the point where it was almost distracting. I did sink into it during some stretches, and the audiobook helped a LOT, and it really was a beautiful, impressive book. So I walked away feeling net positive.
If you love lyricism and you’re up for a challenge, give this one a shot. But if you’re not one for experimental styles, proceed with caution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
the_literarylinguist's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Suicide and Violence