Granta Books A Passage North

❝He couldn't help thinking, as the train hurtled closer toward his destination, that he'd traversed not any physical distance that day but rather some vast psychic distance inside him, that he'd been advancing not from the island's south to its north but from the south of his mind to its own distant northern reaches.❞A Passage North is as much about Krishan's introspection as it is about the passage itself. Anuk Arudpragasam with his tantalizing words and the lure of a spectacular story, takes a reader to the heart of a country's vast, impactful and bloody past.Sri Lanka's civil war and the subsequent genocide of Tamil population was not something I had any prior knowledge of, before reading the book. That's why, coming across the tragedies of the war or the unexpected viciousness that shattered the melancholic atmosphere of the book repeatedly, was a shock to my system. Even though I knew what I was getting myself into when I picked the book.A Passage North gives an almost unparalleled attention to detail. Think about it like this, you are slowly making your way through the cumbersome lines and long, philosophical wanderings of the book. Suddenly a window opens up somewhere and you are privy to every thought and every emotion undulating inside the depth of someone's very being! It's incredible, really.This book follows Krishan's journey into the deep north of Sri Lanka as he makes his way towards Rani's funeral pyre and simultaneously tries to come in terms with the aftermath of war. Grief, alienation, absence and longing - these are the recurring themes of the book. It deeply explores and examines the effects of a tragic history in a country's consciousness.It took me almost 3 months and multiple breaks to finish A Passage North. The reason behind this has more to do with the theme of the book rather than a succession of unfortunate timings. It's not an easy book to read, war memoirs never are. Layers of recollections and swathes of ruminations concluded in a way that left me empty and wrung out but finally at reluctant peace.A story of loss, trauma and an everlasting search for self, A Passage North comes highly recommended from me.

Ksiazka przyszla z uszkodzoną obwolutą, to juz druga książka z rzędu którą przysłano uszkodzona. Jestem bardzo zawiedziona

'A Passage North' successfully explores the vicissitudes of the human soul; how it navigates through loss, grief, desire and yearning. An intense narrative, and on its course you will keep floating seamlessly among three parallel realms, first being Sri Lankan civil war and how it permanently impacted the lives of people in north and north-eastern part of the country, second being the journey of constant self-searching of the the protagonist, Krishan, and third being the innermost labyrinths of the souls of its central characters: Krishan himself, Rani, Anjum and Appamma.This books beautifully elaborates how ones life, though ephemeral in existence vis-a-vis the universe, encapsulates eons of feelings, inner conflicts, desires, happiness and sorrow.You will feel totally engrossed in the every sequence of this narrative and will keep appreciating the author and his ability to dissect every emotion and action with microscopic details. A thorough research has been done on the geopolitical aspects of the story and having said that, justice has been done not only to the key place in question, Sri Lanka, but also to the part of the story which is set in India.Really impressed with the book and looking forward to read other works from the author.

Well written and very interesting.

A challenging but ultimately beautiful read, evocative of a turbulent period in Sri Lanka’s recent history