The Passenger

In 1980, Bobby Western, a salvage diver, travels to Christian Pass, MS, to investigate an underwater plane crash. He soon discovers that the black box, the flight pilot’s bag, and an unidentified passenger are missing. Bobby does not know what happened but nonetheless becomes the target of a federal investigation. Already haunted by his father, a physicist responsible for creating the nuclear bomb, and by the death of his sister Alicia, with whom he was in love, Bobby embarks on a quest across the United States to save his body and soul. McCarthy’s (The Road) much-anticipated novel is a new American epic. His elegant prose piercingly reveals the characters’ pain as they wrestle with questions of morality, madness, sin, and science. The audio is narrated in alternating sections by MacLeod Andrews, who gives voice to Bobby, and Julia Whelan, who reveals Alicia’s point of view. Their luminous performances lay bare the agony and hope that each character holds within, while also helping listeners to distinguish between shifting timelines. McCarthy fans may recognize the author’s recurring themes, as well as astute observations about modern life.