The Passenger: How a Travel Writer Learned to Love Cruises & Other Lies from a Sinking Ship
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-13 10:18:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chaney Kwak
- ISBN：1567926975
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In March 2019， the Viking Sky cruise ship was struck by a bomb cyclone in the Arctic Sea。 Rocked by 60-foot swells and 87-knot gales， the ship lost power and began to drift straight toward the notoriously dangerous Hustadvika coast in Norway。 This is the suspenseful， harrowing， funny， touching story by one passenger who contemplated death aboard that ship。
Chaney Kwak is a travel writer used to all sorts of mishaps on the road， but this is a first even for him: trapped on the battered cruise ship， he stuffs his passport into his underwear just in case his body has to be identified。 As the massive cruise ship sways in surging waves， Kwak holds on and watches news of the impending disaster unfold on Twitter， where the cruise ship's nearly 1，400 passengers are showered with "thoughts and prayers。" Kwak uses his twenty-seven hours aboard the teetering ship to examine his family history， maritime tragedies， and the failing relationship back on shore with a man he's loved for nearly two decades: the Viking Sky， he realizes， may not be the only sinking ship he needs to escape。
The Passenger takes readers for an unforgettable journey from the Norwegian coast to the South China Sea， from post-WWII Korea to pandemic-struck San Francisco。 Kwak weaves his personal experience into events spanning decades and continents to explore the serendipity and the relationships that move us--perfect for readers who love to discover the world through the eyes of a perceptive and humorous observer。
Chaney Kwak is a travel writer used to all sorts of mishaps on the road， but this is a first even for him: trapped on the battered cruise ship， he stuffs his passport into his underwear just in case his body has to be identified。 As the massive cruise ship sways in surging waves， Kwak holds on and watches news of the impending disaster unfold on Twitter， where the cruise ship's nearly 1，400 passengers are showered with "thoughts and prayers。" Kwak uses his twenty-seven hours aboard the teetering ship to examine his family history， maritime tragedies， and the failing relationship back on shore with a man he's loved for nearly two decades: the Viking Sky， he realizes， may not be the only sinking ship he needs to escape。
The Passenger takes readers for an unforgettable journey from the Norwegian coast to the South China Sea， from post-WWII Korea to pandemic-struck San Francisco。 Kwak weaves his personal experience into events spanning decades and continents to explore the serendipity and the relationships that move us--perfect for readers who love to discover the world through the eyes of a perceptive and humorous observer。
Reviews
Linda Rui Feng
，
A book that is about so much more than what the title and subtitle can capture。 It feels both big and wide-ranging yet intimate and whip-smart at the same time。 I loved its prose and wit， admired how it managed to pull together real-time tension and quieter rumination， past and present， personal and professional， family history and global inequity。 Highly recommended。
Janet
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I will recommend this book to friends， family， patrons， book clubs， and people I see reading books in the park， and strangers on the tube who are also reading: I find that once they figure out that I am a Canadian and not a Trump-loving MAGA-idiot they like to discuss books。 （lol！）Take this book to the beach （or your back yard， porch or balcony） and enjoy it - just wear a tonne of SPF110 as you will lose track of time as you read this。 - If we are in the 5th or 6th wave/mutation of COVID19 by th I will recommend this book to friends， family， patrons， book clubs， and people I see reading books in the park， and strangers on the tube who are also reading: I find that once they figure out that I am a Canadian and not a Trump-loving MAGA-idiot they like to discuss books。 （lol！）Take this book to the beach （or your back yard， porch or balcony） and enjoy it - just wear a tonne of SPF110 as you will lose track of time as you read this。 - If we are in the 5th or 6th wave/mutation of COVID19 by then， stay inside: no tan is worth dying for。 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️ #maddogsandenglishmen 。。。more
Lisa
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Poignant， haunting， biting， and above all， grateful for life — especially meaningful reading at this moment in our pandemic lives。
Sean Loughran
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I really enjoyed this about the book， that despite describing events， in vivid detail， that could have taken his life in a heartbeat， Kwak keeps that same dry sense of humour which takes away any heaviness this memoir could have possessed， and instead makes it a more vibrant and adventurous read。 As well as relaying the events of his near-death experience， Chaney was also quite vulnerable in this memoir， touching on personal relationships with a partner and his family。 I found that only added mo I really enjoyed this about the book， that despite describing events， in vivid detail， that could have taken his life in a heartbeat， Kwak keeps that same dry sense of humour which takes away any heaviness this memoir could have possessed， and instead makes it a more vibrant and adventurous read。 As well as relaying the events of his near-death experience， Chaney was also quite vulnerable in this memoir， touching on personal relationships with a partner and his family。 I found that only added more depth and without it， the book might have been lacking。 All in all， this made for a great evening read。 I felt as though I had the opportunity to indulge in Chaney Kwak’s writing for longer than usual， even though the book is short at just 160 pages， it’s much longer than his regular travel features。www。avocadodiaries。com 。。。more
Jennifer Hopkins
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I love to travel， but I detest cruises and have had several bad experiences on boats。 So， this is not normally a book I would have chosen to read。 I won it in a Goodreads Giveaway。 The writing is astounding and descriptions of scenery， the people， the cruise ship makes you see how Mr。 Kwak was successful as a travel writer。 There are many humorous lines to divert from the what must have been terrifying event。 I love that he intertwines not just his past and present， but also his family’s。 His me I love to travel， but I detest cruises and have had several bad experiences on boats。 So， this is not normally a book I would have chosen to read。 I won it in a Goodreads Giveaway。 The writing is astounding and descriptions of scenery， the people， the cruise ship makes you see how Mr。 Kwak was successful as a travel writer。 There are many humorous lines to divert from the what must have been terrifying event。 I love that he intertwines not just his past and present， but also his family’s。 His memoir is not just about the historical near sinking of the ship， but of him coming to terms with who he is now and what he wants out of life now as he has changed over the years。 Kind of a coming of middle age story。 。。。more
Michelle
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So first， full disclosure， the author is my friend and he sent me his ARC because I asked him to。 But even if he weren’t my friend， I’d still give a glowing review to this book: harrowing and hilarious， snarky， smart， vulnerable and tender—I was engaged from beginning to end， taken in and impressed with the book’s weaving of various temporalities， relationships， landscapes， and perspectives throughout。 It’s a short， but rich read。
Ky James
，
There’s a travel industry adage that cruises are for ‘the overfeds， the newlyweds， and the nearly deads。’ This was the kind of line I was looking for and expecting from this type of narrative。 I fully expected a funny and memorable recounting of the time the author nearly died in a near disaster。 Instead， I ended up getting so much more。 Equal parts down-to-earth， deeply candid， and funny - to a point that it evoked a range from darkly dry chortle to sudden outbursts that scared my pets - this There’s a travel industry adage that cruises are for ‘the overfeds， the newlyweds， and the nearly deads。’ This was the kind of line I was looking for and expecting from this type of narrative。 I fully expected a funny and memorable recounting of the time the author nearly died in a near disaster。 Instead， I ended up getting so much more。 Equal parts down-to-earth， deeply candid， and funny - to a point that it evoked a range from darkly dry chortle to sudden outbursts that scared my pets - this ‘travel writer’s’ book digs deep into personal family memoir， as well as historical exploration。 Take it from a travel writer who caters to readers several income brackets above his: Hell has no fury like a First World traveler slightly inconvenienced。 For the first third of the book， we read plenty of witty and cutting lines about cruise goers， and the type of first world passengers with the right colored passport that enjoy such a journey。 There’s a definite Me vs Them feeling at first， and a sense of not belonging that pervades the first half， but then as the chaos and fear of a failing cruise ship and impending doom grips the author， suddenly readers experience a shift toward community and togetherness through acts of kindness seen onboard and a series of memories and thoughts about his own life and desires。 ‘The book’s about being stuck，’ I hear myself say。 ‘Actually， it’s more about trying to change course when things go south。’ An unexpected and unflinching honesty is shared through personal reflections about romantic relationships， family， heritage， migration， and race。 Readers essentially watch Kwak go through a terrifying ordeal， and we live through his thought process as he reevaluates what is important， and makes serious decisions about his future。 And all while sharing insights about maritime disasters through history， and slowly detailing his failing relationship。 Despite being a quick read at only 160 pages， this book has a lot to enjoy， and a lot to think about。 I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys good writing， sharp wit， and a personal journey about what matters most in life。 I would probably not recommend it to anyone looking forward to a cruise。*I received this ARC from Edelweiss and publisher David R。 Godine in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jonathan Parks-Ramage
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A wild and unforgettable ride！ Kwak uses his terrifying brush with mortality on board a sinking cruise ship as the launching pad to reflect on life， love， family， and the history of maritime disasters。 It moves with the momentum of action film， while also grounding us in an unforgettable and moving personal narrative。 Peppered throughout is Kwak’s sparkling queer wit and razor sharp eye for detail。 Both epically riveting and hauntingly intimate， The Passenger is a book I won’t soon forget。
Michael-Vincent D'Anella-Mercanti
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