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nila's review
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
3.5
I wanted to read more from Sri Lankan authors AND read more books outside my comfort zone, so I picked this up knowing it was heavy on the introspection (is that a word?). The 2/3 of this book flew by, and I absolutely loved it. The secondary characters were so great I didn't even think of how it's all in the main character's head. However, in the last third, the main character is by themselves and the pace slowed down too much for me, and I sadly lost interest.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and War
rumaho76's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I wanted so much to like this book but I just found it really hard to read. I'm superficial and prefer short paragraphs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Genocide, Racism, and Child death
sahanasri's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
This book details a beautiful and reflective journey north through Sri Lanka. The descriptions of Sri Lanka are gorgeous and transported me as I read (and now I’d love to visit). The main character reflects a lot on his life and stories he’s read/watched on his journey to a funeral, which feels very meditative and helped me to reflect on many key experiences in my own life. I loved how lush the descriptive writing is, even though it can be a bit lengthy at times, as well as the motifs of time = water, vision, and grief.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Child death
luise96's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Child death
czidya's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A Passage North is a beautifully written reflection on trauma, grief, memory, and love, set largely within the mind of Krishan, a young professional, as he travels across Sri Lanka to attend a funeral in a remote village.
Arudpragasam's writing is wordy, but never unnecessarily so, such that it allows him to communicate complex, often difficult to express ideas with stunning beauty.
"What for lack of a better word was sometimes called love, he had realized that night, was not so much a relation between to people in and of themselves as a relation between two people and the world they were witness to, a world whose surfaces and exteriors gradually began to dissipate as the two individuals sank deeper and deeper into what was called their love."
Arudpragasam's writing is wordy, but never unnecessarily so, such that it allows him to communicate complex, often difficult to express ideas with stunning beauty.
"What for lack of a better word was sometimes called love, he had realized that night, was not so much a relation between to people in and of themselves as a relation between two people and the world they were witness to, a world whose surfaces and exteriors gradually began to dissipate as the two individuals sank deeper and deeper into what was called their love."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Mental illness, War, and Torture
Moderate: Suicide, Gore, Racism, Hate crime, and Drug use
Minor: Self harm, Homophobia, and Alcohol
elizabethgreads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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? No
2.0
2.0 Stars.
What I enjoyed. Learning about some historical moments of the Sri Lankan Civil war which is now something I want to learn more about. The look into how war affects people and future generations and the hard journey of healing after a war. The look on aging love ones affects familial relationships and the mental health of the elderly. The relationship and unlikely friendship between the grandmother and her care taker. That being said there wasn't enough of this through out the novel.
What I didn't like was the stream of consciousness writing with run on sentences and long paragraphs. As a reader with learning disabilities this made reading the novel extremely frustrating as I was continually getting lost and having to go back and read sections multiple times. I also think this novel would have been better if told from a different pov. Say maybe dual pov of the grandmother and her care taker. The author also would take pages to summarize movies, epic poems, and other events to the reader which really took me out of the story. It was also very introspective and too much which lead to me being bored. The entire book takes place over about a period of 3 - 4 days with lots of flash backs and this didn't work for me in this story.
What I enjoyed. Learning about some historical moments of the Sri Lankan Civil war which is now something I want to learn more about. The look into how war affects people and future generations and the hard journey of healing after a war. The look on aging love ones affects familial relationships and the mental health of the elderly. The relationship and unlikely friendship between the grandmother and her care taker. That being said there wasn't enough of this through out the novel.
What I didn't like was the stream of consciousness writing with run on sentences and long paragraphs. As a reader with learning disabilities this made reading the novel extremely frustrating as I was continually getting lost and having to go back and read sections multiple times. I also think this novel would have been better if told from a different pov. Say maybe dual pov of the grandmother and her care taker. The author also would take pages to summarize movies, epic poems, and other events to the reader which really took me out of the story. It was also very introspective and too much which lead to me being bored. The entire book takes place over about a period of 3 - 4 days with lots of flash backs and this didn't work for me in this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, War, Self harm, and Death
alexandralengquist's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I enjoyed the story especially when talking about his relationship or stories of family. It was very descriptive and sometimes very slow paced and overly "literary" for my english level and taste. Loved lagning more about the war that I didn't know a lot about before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and War
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, War, Death, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, and Self harm
serinalovesreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Child 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: Grief, Death, Child death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
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