“In case
you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s
death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...”
This
first-person narrated tale of a woman on the run is a psychological trip as
well as a real one. Although she changes names several times during the book, let’s
refer to her a Tanya for the sake of avoiding confusion.
Tanya runs
from a dead husband in the opening chapter, but that’s only the top of the
iceberg as there is more in Tanya’s past that we are allowed to see at first.
The trip sees her through a downgrading spiral both in her economic situation
and her sanity, and endless changes of hair and cuts. It is also interesting
how she gets her new identities in these new age of technology and records.
Despite her
circumstances, at the core Tanya is a decent person with a conscience and
although her actions are on the wrong side of the law, her motives somewhat justifies
them, at least most of the times.
SPOILER
ALERT:
There is a
lot said about the twist at the end that I was anticipating a “Brad Pitt was a
figment of your imagination in Fight Club,” but no, the reveal is more grounded
in reality than that-thank god!
Overall, it
is an interesting read, filled with suspense if not action scenes that are only
sprinkled throughout the tale.
DISCLAIMER:
I was lucky
to get my hands on an ARC from Lisa Lutz’s new novel The Passenger.
