Final Journey: A Review of Colin Thubron's 'Passage'
The novel centers on Kathleen, a terminally ill actress, who travels to Egypt with her husband Robert, a brain specialist. Their marriage is strained, and the story explores themes of mortality and memory. The review praises Thubron's evocative depiction of Egypt and the book's emotional weight.
Colin Thubron, primarily known for his travel writing, applies that observational skill to fiction in "Passage," setting the novel in rural Egypt rather than its bustling cities. The protagonist Kathleen is an Anglicised Australian actor of Slovenian descent, married to Robert, a brain specialist whose brother Alan was her first love. The narrative opens with a stark depiction of Kathleen undergoing awake brain surgery to investigate an incurable tumour.
The review, written by John Banville, draws a comparison to Virginia Woolf's assessment of "Middlemarch," positioning Thubron's novella as serious literature for adult readers. Banville particularly praises Thubron's restraint in handling the symbolic potential of Egypt as an "afterworld," noting the temple city functions as "a ruined monument to death and memory" for the dying protagonist.
This review could influence literary audiences by directing attention to fiction that engages seriously with mortality and end-of-life experience, themes often marginalised in contemporary culture. Readers facing terminal illness or caring for loved ones may find resonance in Kathleen's clear-eyed approach to dying. The novel's critical reception could also reinforce the value of literary fiction that assumes adult intelligence, potentially encouraging publishers to support similarly ambitious works.