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A review by sam_bizar_wilcox
A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam
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.