Book: A Passage North

A profound exploration of the intricacies of memory and the painful realities of war, "A Passage North" by Anuk Arudpragasam is a meditative journey through post-war Sri Lanka. The novel follows Krishan, a young man residing in Colombo, who receives news of the sudden death of Rani, his grandmother’s former caretaker. Drawn by a sense of duty and complex layers of emotion, he embarks on a journey to the war-torn Northern Province to attend her funeral.

The narrative weaves through Krishan’s introspections on his country’s past and present, his relationships, and the indelible marks left by decades of conflict. Arudpragasam paints a poignant picture of a land haunted by grief and loss while contemplating the philosophical depths of human experience. Through lyrical prose and rich, evocative imagery, the novel delves into themes of love, trauma, and the ceaseless passage of time. "A Passage North" is as much an external journey as it is an internal one, with each step Krishan takes further unraveling the tangled threads of personal and collective history.