Anuk Arudpragasam – A Passage North

The journey is a constant feature in literature, within this ‘genre’ A character goes on a voyage and ends up reflecting upon themselves, or coming to a realisation about their existence or even rejecting everything and they just keep on travelling until something happens to them. Some examples: The Savage Detectives, The Stone Junction , The Exodus narratives. In the film world Pixar built it’s entire career on the importance of the journey, and that’s just naming one cause that can go on forever as well.

Anuk Arudpragasam’s A Passage North is also a journey novel:

One afternoon, main protagonist, Krishan discovers two messages. One is about his grandmother’s carer dying and the other is from a girl he had a relationship with back in Delhi. Krishan then decides that the right thing to do is attend the funeral of the carer, despite the fact that it is in the north of Sri Lanka, which suffered under the civil war.

The book is divided into 10 chapters. One could say that they focus on a premise and it is explored in a philosophical manner. One chapter is about death, another one is about the many faces of love, another is about politics, especially the Tamil Tigers. These sections are not just cod philosophy: Arudpragasam digs deep and as Krishan is analysing his life he begins to notice that maybe all the problems which occurred could have been anticipated, like his break up or the carer’s actual death but at the same time an sort of existential mentality begins to overcome him.

As this book is full of Philosophical meditations, there is no clear answer: some realisations, but nothing concrete. As all journeys end : the analogy that life is a journey is strong in the book, Krishan finally knows that this journey has ended once he sees the carer being cremated. i.e everything ends in flames.

A Passage North is open to many interpretations, and who knows, maybe mine is incorrect but it is this aspect of the book that will divide readers. This is a rambly novel, filled with long sentences which need reflecting after reading. Some may enjoy it (me) some may find it off-putting so I am hesitant in recommending it. If you are ok with philosophical (and I mean PROPER philosophical, not the Alchemist) novels then I do suggest one reads it. Trust me, in it’s odd way the reader will benefit form these meditations.