The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
Expected publication: March 1st 2016 by Simon & Schuster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Passenger is an interesting and thrilling ride. It is the story of a young woman taken advantage of by just too many people. In most of these cases they were allowed to continue in their lives as if nothing changed, but she must quickly find another identity and take off. We follow her across the country as she seeks some semblance of a life and a future. Why is she running, who can she trust, will she get out alive?
The Passenger starts with a death. Our heroine comes downstairs and finds her husband has fallen down the stairs and has died. It is an accidental death. Tanya has been the ordinary housewife, working side by side with her husband at their bar. So, why now does Tanya flee? Why doesn't she just stay and be Frank's widow getting the bar and everything else? She was having an affair with her chiropractor, she could continue that. But, Tanya runs, and we are left wondering why she married Frank in the first place and what she is running from.
Her first action is to contact Mr. Oliver to obtain a new name and new identity. Who is this guy? Why does she contact him? And, then, why does he try to have her killed? Her new name is Amelia, but this isn't working for her either. Luckily, she meets Blue, who is also in need of a new name. Her real name is Deborah, so the two of them switch identities, and off they run, both needing a new life.
In the meantime, we see Tanya/Amelia/Deborah emailing Ryan and signing her emails Jo. This is when we discover our heroine is truly running from something she has done in her hometown. Ryan (his real name) is part of that something, and loves Jo. Their emails are the only time Jo is her real self. What happened?
The Passenger is a very quick read and I expect it to appeal to the same readers who enjoyed Gone Girl and Girl on a Train. This is not great literature, but that is not the intent. It is the story of a young, naive girl who trusted too much and was truly taken advantage of by people who wanted to protect their own. But, her new life, or lack of a life, changes her and creates even more problems. Will she ever find a way out?
I really enjoyed The Passenger. It truly is a roller coaster ride full of intrigue. The marketing plan tells the reader to "buckle-up", and really, you should. I give it four stars and think it will be very popular when it comes out.
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