A review by smavy
A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam

challenging 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

4.75

What an amazing book. Deeply moving and introspective, this book meditates on loss and death in a uniquely styled prose. Told solely from Krishan’s perspective, and full of his interior processing of important life events but also minute happenings, this book is rich with detail. It has no dialogue so it reads like waves upon waves of meditative prose. The book is a full immersive experience. I didn’t miss the dialogue. And the plot, well, there is a linear thread that holds the story together, but the real plot is just how Krishan processes life, death, loss, love, etc. Amazing book. If I had to give one criticism - there was a lot more exposition about the Sri Lankan civil war than necessary. Those details could have been woven with more finesse (which was on display throughout). That part read more like a news story. Otherwise, one of the best reads of 2021. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings