Reviews with content warning for Torture - A Passage North

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."

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rosibook's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

5.0

You can say so much about A Passage North, and not one word will be enough to describe how beautiful and meditative this book is. I should start and say that this book is absolutely not for everyone. It’s incredibly slow-paced, it meanders, a single sentence/thought can go on for an entire paragraph, and some may find it too erudite for their taste (which is completely fair).

The opening passage—a “mere” three sentences long that spans two pages—makes clear what’s in store for the reader in terms of pacing, approach, and writing style. And, for me, it was one of the most beautiful opening passages I’ve read in a long while. Arudpragasam writes in such a reflective and thought-provoking way that just stays with you from start to end. Reading this book is a moving experience told from the perspective of Krishan, the protagonist, whose thoughts wander off to philosophical ideas of being, death, desire, love, among other themes. Philosophical ideas themselves are difficult to tackle, and yet, Arudpragasam masterfully ties them to Tamil history to also reflect on their grief and trauma stemming from the Sri Lankan Civil War.

A Passage North is as much a philosophical lesson as it is a history lesson. It will make you pause and reflect on what you just read. And, really, it’s incredible to realize that so much thinking can take place in the span of a train ride, which is the case for Krishan, who was on his way north to his grandmother’s caretaker’s funeral. This journey was as poignant for me as it likely was for the protagonist.

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jouljet's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

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