A Passage North

A novel that made it onto the Booker Prize shortlist in 2021 and was recognized by Time magazine as one of the best books of the year tells the story of a young Sri Lankan named Krishan. He travels north to a country torn apart by civil war to attend the funeral of his grandmother Rani, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the loss of two sons during the war. Rani’s death calls into question whether it was an accident, suicide, or murder.

At the same time, Krishan receives a letter from his former girlfriend, the Indian activist Anjum, which forces him to remember his past. Krishan’s journey becomes both a geographical and psychological one, revealing the wounds of the war and his own past.

The novel offers readers a meditative, contemplative text that, through the hero’s introspection, immerses them in the story of the civil war—while also serving as a loud political statement.