The Passengers: Shortlisted for The Rathbones Folio Prize 2023

The Passengers is an original and profound portrait of contemporary Britain told through the testimonies of its inhabitants. It is a spectacularly enjoyable and compelling reading experience that humanizes literature in this toxic moment. The book was collected between October 2018 and March 2021, using a range of methods including letters sent to random addresses, hitchhiking, referrals from strangers, and interviews conducted in person, on the phone, over the internet, or asked people to record themselves. The testimonies tell the collective story of what it feels like to be alive in a particular time and place, and how we give shape to our lives, find meaning in the chaos, acknowledge the fragility of our existence, and alleviate this anxiety with moments of beauty, love, humor, and solidarity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 25 January 2024
Publisher: Faber & Faber

An original and profound portrait of contemporary Britain, told through the testimonies of its inhabitants, is presented in this captivating book. A spectacularly enjoyable and compelling reading experience, it offers a humorous, moving, surprising, and thought-provoking exploration of the human experience. Max Porter, the author of "Lanny," praises The Passengers as a work that humanizes literature in a toxic moment.

Seemingly simple yet profoundly profound, The Passengers offers an absorbing insight into the lives and minds of so-called ordinary people. It delves into their hopes, fears, and idiosyncrasies at a specific moment in time, rendering a vivid and authentic portrayal of the human condition.

Clio Barnard, the director of films such as "Ali & Ava" and "The Essex Serpent," praises The Passengers for its ability to bring the nation's psyche to the surface. Drenched in mood and texture, the book renders the country itself as a sonic collage, capturing the essence of its people and landscapes.

Sukhdev Sandhu, a writer for the "Guardian," describes The Passengers as a remarkable oral history of the contemporary moment. Between October 2018 and March 2021, Will Ashon collected voices—people talking about their lives, needs, dreams, loves, hopes, and fears—all with some connection to the British Isles. He employed a range of methods, including letters sent to random addresses, hitchhiking, referrals from strangers, and more, to conduct the interviews. The interviews were conducted in person, over the phone, via the internet, or by asking people to record themselves. Interview techniques ranged from asking people to share a secret to selecting an arbitrary question from a list.

The resulting testimonies, collected in this book, tell the collective story of what it feels like to be alive in a particular time and place—here and now. The Passengers explores the ways in which we shape our lives, find meaning in the chaos, acknowledge the fragility of our existence, and alleviate this anxiety with moments of beauty, love, humor, and solidarity.

This book is a magical mystery tour of Britain, offering an extraordinary and captivating exploration of the country and its people. Daily Telegraph praises Ashon's polyphonic writing style, describing the book as a gloriously polyphonic tapestry of voices.

In conclusion, The Passengers is a remarkable work that offers a profound and captivating insight into contemporary Britain. Through the testimonies of its inhabitants, it humanizes literature, brings the nation's psyche to the surface, and explores the human experience in all its complexity and diversity. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the world around them and the people who inhabit it.

Weight: 312g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780571364152
Edition number: Main