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tiriol's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death, Torture, and War
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
czidya's review against another edition
- 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
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."
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Mental illness, War, and Torture
Moderate: Suicide, Gore, Racism, Hate crime, and Drug use
Minor: Self harm, Homophobia, and Alcohol
rosibook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical trauma, Suicide, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
schmetzi's review
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, War, and Violence
jouljet's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Torture, War, Mental illness, and Grief
narpetcards's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, War, Death, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, and Self harm
deedireads's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Grief, Death, Child death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts