The Other Passenger
Fiction
Atria
July 20, 2021
Advance reader copy
400
Free from publisher
It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by ferry with your charismatic neighbor Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing.
When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends—ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives?
No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent.
Aren’t you?
3.5 stars
Whoever wrote the synopsis for this one did a great job, the hype for me to pick this one up was real! For the most part I wasn't disappointed. I really liked the way the characters were written. While some are definitely unlikable, we are left wobbling back and forth with whether we like any of them. The story is told from Jamie's point of view, and takes place both in present time and in the year leading up to Kit's disappearance. Jamie's long time love interest Claire was given a posh place to live from her parents. Jamie strikes up a friendship with Kit as they ride the ferry to and from their jobs each day. The two couples become friends despite their disparate ages and lifestyles. Kit and his wife Melia are living paycheck to paycheck (mostly from their own doing). This creates a bit of tension between the haves and have nots, and comes into play more and more as the story progresses. There are lots of secrets and twists in this book, with a major one I never saw coming! While I enjoyed the writing, I did think that the book dragged a bit in the middle. However, the last third is a wild ride and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!
Despite the slow down in the middle, I really liked this book that asks the question, how well do you know your neighbors? You won't be sorry you read it when you reach the fantastic conclusion. This book does contain infidelity, so if that bothers you, probably give it a pass.
