
In a world increasingly preoccupied with labelling, Will Ashon’s new book The Passengers strips away the traditional identifiers of race, gender, age and class to remind us that there is so much more that unites us than divides us.
A series of monologues taken from interviews with a wide range of completely anonymous participants, The Passengers is an intimate and incredibly relatable look at what drives, moves and worries us as both individuals and a species.
The longest accounts – around four pages – are found in the middle of the book, while the entries at the very start and end are barely a line in length. The unusual structure brings to mind the shape of a heartbeat on a monitor, or the life cycle of a human from childhood to adulthood to old age, and has a deeply moving effect.
Interesting, too, are the common themes that creep up time and again. Many people find themselves ruminating on secrets they have kept, on their parents, and on the small pleasures that help them get by. Succeeding in making the everyday feel profound, the book is a reminder that, while we may all just be passing through, there’s a joy and comfort in undertaking the journey together.
The Passengers, Will Ashon (Faber)
Price: £14.99. Info: here
words RACHEL REES
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