Summary
Astrid is intent on keeping the different parts of her life separate. At school, she is entrusted with the secret that her two friends, whom everyone thinks is the perfect couple, are actually gay. At home, she struggles with an overbearing mother, an disengaged father, and a perfect little sister. At her work, she is falling in love with another girl. As Astrid tries to define herself and figure out how to fit neatly into the labels she abhors, she lies on a picnic table in her backyard, sending her love to the passengers on the planes overhead.
Astrid is intent on keeping the different parts of her life separate. At school, she is entrusted with the secret that her two friends, whom everyone thinks is the perfect couple, are actually gay. At home, she struggles with an overbearing mother, an disengaged father, and a perfect little sister. At her work, she is falling in love with another girl. As Astrid tries to define herself and figure out how to fit neatly into the labels she abhors, she lies on a picnic table in her backyard, sending her love to the passengers on the planes overhead.
Evaluative comments
Ask the Passengers is a thoughtful novel, which is lyrically written. Astrid's imagined version of "Frank" Socrates and the short passages about airplane passengers successfully add a distinguishing element to the novel. King wisely avoids trying to give easy solutions to Astrid's struggles with her family and her sexuality, allowing for development in individual characters and their relationships without unbelievably neat resolutions. Astrid's reluctance to label herself provokes an interesting examination of discovering sexuality and the prejudices that arise from multiple communities. Within a novel with compelling characters and an interesting narrative structure, Ask the Passengers presents a fresh perspective of self-discovery.
Ask the Passengers is a thoughtful novel, which is lyrically written. Astrid's imagined version of "Frank" Socrates and the short passages about airplane passengers successfully add a distinguishing element to the novel. King wisely avoids trying to give easy solutions to Astrid's struggles with her family and her sexuality, allowing for development in individual characters and their relationships without unbelievably neat resolutions. Astrid's reluctance to label herself provokes an interesting examination of discovering sexuality and the prejudices that arise from multiple communities. Within a novel with compelling characters and an interesting narrative structure, Ask the Passengers presents a fresh perspective of self-discovery.
Suggested audience
Grades 9-12
Grades 9-12
Reader’s advisory notes
Appeal terms - Character-driven, issue-oriented, leisurely paced, reflective, thought-provoking, experimental
Read-alikes - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Appeal terms - Character-driven, issue-oriented, leisurely paced, reflective, thought-provoking, experimental
Read-alikes - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Booktalking hook
Read prologue on p. 1
Read prologue on p. 1
Reason for inclusion
Category
LGBTQ, Realistic
LGBTQ, Realistic
