Boundless Press | A Passage North: A Novel

A Passage North: A Novel

Anuk Arudpragasam

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • A young man journeys into Sri Lanka’s war-torn north in this searing novel of longing, loss, and the legacy of war from the author of The Story of a Brief Marriage.

“A novel of tragic power and uncommon beauty.”—Anthony Marra

“One of the most individual minds of their generation.”—Financial Times.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Time, NPR

A Passage North begins with a message from out of the blue: a telephone call informing Krishan that his grandmother’s caretaker, Rani, has died under unexpected circumstances—found at the bottom of a well in her village in the north, her neck broken by the fall. The news arrives on the heels of an email from Anjum, an impassioned yet aloof activist Krishnan fell in love with years before while living in Delhi, stirring old memories and desires from a world he left behind.

As Krishan makes the long journey by train from Colombo into the war-torn Northern Province for Rani’s funeral, so begins an astonishing passage into the innermost reaches of a country. At once a powerful meditation on absence and longing, as well as an unsparing account of the legacy of Sri Lanka’s thirty-year civil war, this procession to a pyre “at the end of the earth” lays bare the imprints of an island’s past, the unattainable distances between who we are and what we seek.

Written with precision and grace, Anuk Arudpragasam’s masterful novel is an attempt to come to terms with life in the wake of devastation, and a poignant memorial for those lost and those still living.

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Posts about this title from Boundless Press

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jul 19 2023

the books I'm taking with me when i MOVE OUT 📚🌇

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faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nuh-nee (like a knee!)

🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!

🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!

40 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Mar 16 2025

books set around the WORLD that you need to read asap 🌍

book recs for this month's reading challenge to read books set outside of north america!!

23 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Sep 5 2024

brat summer is over... so let's talk about the books i read 🤠 | a summer reading wrapup

let me know what you read this summer!!!

11 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • May 10 2024

[Hello loves! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to your month! See below for what’s up with me :)\ \ \ \ What’s going on with me:\ \ I am in the process of revamping what my daily schedule looks like and how I want to set the tone for the summer. A few things I’m hoping to change for the summer:\ \

Start going to the gym 4-5 times a week rather than my regular 2-3. I recently upgraded my gym membership so that I can attend unlimited classes per month so I’m excited to make use of that!\
Start waking up at the crack of dawn to write lol. I’m hoping to tap into some manic energy this summer and start waking up at 5am to write before I go to the gym and before I start the work day. Despite wanting to get started with writing again this month I’ve been struggling to find the time, so I think getting it out of the way in the morning is the way it has to go down if I’m ever going to finish this book.\
I want to scroll less on my phone and also reduce some time on my devices. I’ve been having nasty evening headaches from staring at my computer or phone screens so I want to alleviate those by taking more breaks to get up and walk—and using pen and paper to do the initial ideation for my videos rather than my computer.\
Be more mindful of my time. This goes in hand with the previous goal but I want to spend less time going down the rabbit hole of comparing myself against other people. I want to read more, write more, and create more. I’ve been looking into upgrading my video equipment and I’m hoping to spend some time learning to create more cinematic/aesthetic videos for my own creative pleasure.\ \ \ \ How I’m doing ~ mentally ~\ \ It’s honestly been a bit on and off for me these days. I had way too many YouTube related work meetings and just personal social plans this past week or so and it’s definitely taken a toll. I’m a very strict ambivert, so depending on the social situation I can either gain or lose a lot of energy. I had a full mix of those situations this past week so I’m definitely feeling a bit tired but also inspired!\ \ One of these social activities was an event with other YouTubers and creators in Toronto which was super fun, really inspiring and got me thinking a lot about my content and where I want to take my content in the future. I’ve been noodling with the idea of a mini rebrand and even changing my channel name 🫢 It wouldn’t be anything crazy, probably just my name—Jananie K. Velu. I would love to hear your thoughts on it though!\ \ Otherwise, I’m hoping to have a quiet week ahead and take some time to ground myself again.\ \ \ \ What I’m working on this week:\ \ Last week I got my “sad hot girls” vlog up and I’m currently editing my March-April wrapup to post asap. I also finally filmed that Bridgerton video I’ve been talking about for ages so I’ll be editing that as well this weekend.\ \ I’m still on the fence as to whether I’ll do a video talking about my thoughts on season 3 of the show once it’s out so let me know if you’d be into that!\ \ Upcoming videos for May:\ \
My favourite books by Asian authors (recommendation video for Asian Heritage Month / AAPI month)\
Are Ottessa Moshfegh books worth the hype? Reading vlog for her backlist\
Queer/LGBTQIAP+ book recs\ \ \ \ What I’m currently reading:\ **A Passage North **by Anuk Arudpragasam — I just started this today and I’m already in love with the writing. I know this is going to be a heavy one since it deals with the Sri Lankan civil war but I have a feeling it’s going to be a new favourite\ \ Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson — I started this on my eReader the other day and was liking the opening but I’m not sure how I feel about the second-person narration. At times it feels a bit confusing so I think I just need to get used to it.\ \ \ \ What I’m watching:\ \ I’m back on my Desperate Housewives train and we’ve only got one more season left after the current one I’m on. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do once I’m done this show because it’s seriously gotten me through some tough days 😱\ \ I’ve also been watching a lot of YouTube videos recently—from booktube to other spheres and it’s been interesting to see different kinds of content and what trends are circulating.\ \ \ \ Anyways that’s all from me for today! Hope you’re all doing well! Let me know what your weekend plans are and what you’re reading <3\ \ \ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/item/owpLodHTtpYCwrVrmaMQ/)

05.10.24 - journal update #8

open for this week's journal entry! :)

2 books