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cindypepper's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this!
However, I just couldn't get into it in the first half. I found the prose objectively gorgeous in the sense that I could handle a monologue one at a time and appreciate the way Arudpragasam can string together words in a way that flows so fluidly and seamlessly.
And I think that's the problem with me. The words flowed a little too well. It's kind of mesmerizing how a single passage can skirt from news of Rani's death to electroshock therapy to old American movies -- or how a scene about waiting for the train flits around from meditations on smoking to the main character's grandmother's physical health to a London trip that the grandmother took years ago. But at the same time, it's tedious and too Proustian for my liking, such that I would read a few pages, and then shake my head and go, "Wait, how did we get from point A to B?".
I almost marked it as DNF, but I can be rather mulish when it comes to trudging through books (I know, it's not a great habit). It's important to note that the novel isn't so much plot-heavy (I don't think there really is a plot) as it is a meditation on trauma in its many shapes and forms.
I personally found the first part way too mazy and I struggled quite a bit. I found the passages and storyline regarding Anjum a bit thin, and as a result, not as integral to the overall novel. I also get that this is a stream-of-consciousness narration, but it also makes me question whether Krishan (a -- comparatively -- privileged male who is merely speculating on Rani and her motivations) is the best lens for the novel.
That said, I really liked the passages and musings on Rani, which led to poignant, elegiac prose that deftly explores intergenerational trauma, memory, grief, and war. There is some good stuff.
I wonder if listening to this (via audiobook) would have done the lyrical nature of the prose a lot more justice; perhaps I wouldn't have felt as lost as I did.
However, I just couldn't get into it in the first half. I found the prose objectively gorgeous in the sense that I could handle a monologue one at a time and appreciate the way Arudpragasam can string together words in a way that flows so fluidly and seamlessly.
And I think that's the problem with me. The words flowed a little too well. It's kind of mesmerizing how a single passage can skirt from news of Rani's death to electroshock therapy to old American movies -- or how a scene about waiting for the train flits around from meditations on smoking to the main character's grandmother's physical health to a London trip that the grandmother took years ago. But at the same time, it's tedious and too Proustian for my liking, such that I would read a few pages, and then shake my head and go, "Wait, how did we get from point A to B?".
I almost marked it as DNF, but I can be rather mulish when it comes to trudging through books (I know, it's not a great habit). It's important to note that the novel isn't so much plot-heavy (I don't think there really is a plot) as it is a meditation on trauma in its many shapes and forms.
I personally found the first part way too mazy and I struggled quite a bit. I found the passages and storyline regarding Anjum a bit thin, and as a result, not as integral to the overall novel. I also get that this is a stream-of-consciousness narration, but it also makes me question whether Krishan (a -- comparatively -- privileged male who is merely speculating on Rani and her motivations) is the best lens for the novel.
That said, I really liked the passages and musings on Rani, which led to poignant, elegiac prose that deftly explores intergenerational trauma, memory, grief, and war. There is some good stuff.
I wonder if listening to this (via audiobook) would have done the lyrical nature of the prose a lot more justice; perhaps I wouldn't have felt as lost as I did.
vienna_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
ludivinev's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
coffeemybook's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sam_bizar_wilcox's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminds me of a series of erudite, introspective works of literary fiction that are actually mysteries, but mysteries about political turmoil and the human condition. Arudpragasam's writing and narrative made me think of Kazuo Ishiguro, Julian Barnes, John Banville, Colm Toibin, etc. There's a surface, which is itself interesting (a man journeys to the war-battered north of Sri Lanka for a funeral); then there are the hints of what is happening just beneath, and one begins to see that they are just skimming the top. It's interesting to me because this type of novel felt omnipresent on prize lists for a while, and A Passage North may be auguring their return.
Arudpragasam's prose is often exquisite, burrowed deep into the mind of his narrator. The book comes together as a series of deep musings on death, trauma, and the wake of the Tamil Tigers. There are many movements that are incredibly uncomfortable, but a way that realizes the effect of war on a country, its people, and its landscape. Yet Arudpragasam expertly renders this discomfort with a fine scalping tool, giving it the same beauty as the rest of his elegiac and meandering novel.
Arudpragasam's prose is often exquisite, burrowed deep into the mind of his narrator. The book comes together as a series of deep musings on death, trauma, and the wake of the Tamil Tigers. There are many movements that are incredibly uncomfortable, but a way that realizes the effect of war on a country, its people, and its landscape. Yet Arudpragasam expertly renders this discomfort with a fine scalping tool, giving it the same beauty as the rest of his elegiac and meandering novel.
drianturner's review against another edition
4.0
This is the deepest and most literary novel I have read in ages. For this reason alone, many potential readers will be discouraged from reading it. In places it is a beautiful novel: the writing is lyrical, there is a depth of maturity beyond the author's years, and one of the contexts of the book, the violent suppression of Tamil separatism by the Sri Lankan government, is wonderfully told; in others, the book is inaccessible, with long convoluted sentences, self indulgent philosophical reveries and just plain dull. But there is much more of the former than the latter, thankfully, especially as the book progresses, hence the 4. It is a divisive book, no doubt, but the author is clearly an emerging literary talent and, for me, the reader's perseverance is worth the challenge. Even if you think it merits less than a 4, I think the experience will remain with you longer than other books you have read recently.
kleonard's review against another edition
1.0
I read and read and read this and felt like I was swimming against a current of words and meaningless disconnection and and minute detail. I realize that perhaps all types of writing aren't for me, and this is an example. I am certain other readers will love it, but my primary emotion was being relieved I was done with it.
12grace4's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
3.0
Philosophical as well as historical perspective of Sri Lanka and challenges faced by its people.
absolute_bookery's review against another edition
emotional
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? N/A
1.5
Arguably one of the most boring audiobook ive ever listened to.