Ask the Passengers

A.S. King is one of the biggest names in literary YA, and Please Ignore Vera Dietz is one of my favorites, so of course I had high expectations for Ask the Passengers. Sadly, though, those expectations weren't exactly met - i's a pretty good book, but I just wasn't as impressed as I'd hoped.

I had a hard time relating to the coming-out story. Part of it is because it's hard for me to picture a town as closed-minded as Unity Valley. On a rational level, I know towns like this exist, but I still have a hard time believing it simply because I grew up in and have only known a lot more liberal environments. I know a story set in an environment like Unity Valley must be relatable and helpful for some people, but since I've met barely any people that are as homophobic as the majority of Unity Valley, people's issues with homosexuality in Ask the Passengers just seemed overdone to me. That made it hard for me to understand why Astrid didn't want to come out of the closet: I found it especially strange that she didn't want to tell her best friend - who is also gay - about her sexuality. I know this makes me sound insensitive, but as someone who is used to a very liberal environment, it was simply hard for me to relate to the struggle of coming out in such a closed-minded small town, and therefore hard to understand our main character Astrid.

Astrid's relationships with the secondary characters aren't bad, but I didn't love any of them as much as I wanted to. I didn't really get Astrid's romance with Dee: to me, it felt more like the book just needed a girlfriend for Astrid to make the story work and less like Dee was her own character. I never felt like I really got to know Dee, and I didn't see the connection between her and Astrid that the story claims they have. I was especially confused about the thing that happened with Kim - it seemed significant to Astrid's and Dee's relationship, but then it was just never brought up again.

The family set up seemed interesting: Astrid's overly controlling mom, her disinterested dad, and her younger sister that is trying to fit in at school with those that are tormenting Astrid. Astrid's relationship with each of them is addressed in some way, but I wish we had gotten to see some further development in their relationships. The same goes for the passenger's stories: I really liked the set up, and I enjoyed seeing little glimpses of their lives, but I didn't really see the point because there is no further development of their stories.

A lot of the hype around Ask the Passengers is about how it's such an original and inspiring story. And honestly, to me, it just... wasn't. It didn't seem all that original to me, and I had a hard time relating to Astrid, even though I can see how the story would be inspiring for other readers. Ask the Passengers does have a nice message of acceptance, but it was just somewhat underwhelming to me, especially because of my high expectations from AS King.

The only thing that Astrid Jones hates more than trigonometry is being labeled. Thoughtful and intelligent, she refuses to be pigeonholed into a categorical box. Recently transplanted from the Big Apple to small-town suburbia, this bookish high school senior is unsure which sexual identity fits her. Is she gay, or is she straight? In a well-trod theme of self-discovery, A.S. King’s latest YA novel challenges heteronormative conventions and reveals the glaring limitations of definition.

Astrid’s life is complicated, to say the least. When her apathetic father isn’t building birdhouses in the backyard, he’s stealing a toke up in the attic. Her best friends are closeted queers and her agoraphobic mother warrants a place on the Mount Rushmore of shrews. Stifling and unsupportive, this alpha-mom is all about façades and maintaining status in a cloistered Pennsylvania hamlet buttressed by Stepford-esque values. What’s worse, Astrid’s younger sister, Ellis, the very picture of normalcy and ultra-femininity, epitomizes the clash between Astrid’s desire to fit in and her sense of individualism.

Lacking any suitable outlet for her consuming emotions, Astrid resorts to sending her love to the passenger jets overhead, a cathartic outpouring that connects her to humanity without any expectation of return. No one in this story has a firm handle on love. Interspersed throughout the narrative are vignettes of the anonymous passengers affected by her earthbound love, and King artfully juxtaposes their preoccupations with Astrid’s quest for self-enlightenment, evoking epiphanies and life-altering clarity to their relationship problems. Love is neither straightforward nor classifiable, as King masterfully illustrates, and her deft touches of magical realism hint at a deeper connectedness beyond the details of the plot. Soul-to-soul, we’re all somehow connected, as many spiritual philosophies agree. King’s use of magical realism in Ask the Passengers shows how the complexities of Astrid’s emotions inform those existing 30,000-ft above her, adding further dimension to the deep and mundane mysteries of life.

After a misbegotten night of clubbing outs Astrid and her friends, the fog of gossip closes in around them. Our questioning protagonist desperately searches for answers even as those closest to her demand an orderly definition for her sexuality. Astrid, however, is determined to unveil herself on her own terms and refuses to let narrow-mindedness dictate who she chooses to be. A philosophy buff, she turns to the teachings of the classic philosophers to better understand her blossoming sexuality, her dysfunctional family, and increasingly intense relationship with her secret girlfriend, Dee. Finding solace and guidance through imaginary conversations with Socrates, Astrid discerns what’s most important to her and remains stolid and wise in the face of bigotry.

A.S. King breaches some delicate social issues—homophobia, familial dysfunction, the demands of high school academia, peer pressure, and consent, to name a few—while simultaneously offering an engaging story with a strong, sympathetic heroine. Astrid’s spiritual strength seems anchored in love and hope—hope that no matter what the outcome, love will always find a way. This beautifully progressing story is assisted by Astrid’s distinct narration that brings King’s storytelling abilities to the fore, and readers will draw inspiration from this touching journey of identity and self-acceptance even if they don’t belong to the LGBTQ alphabet soup.

This witty and tender bildungsroman is an invaluable addition to young-adult literature. Rich stories like this share universal appeal because they convey something about the human condition that speaks to all of us. Ask the Passengers offers perspective on the paradoxes and complexities of the varied human experience that will appeal to audiences regardless of how they label themselves.

I think it's a well written book. The way Astrid explores who she is and who she wants is on point. I loved this book so much.

Another good read from A.S. King. Enjoyed the characters, and the story as a whole. Would really recommend this book

I’ve tried to branch out more into other genres and new authors with my reading this year, and some of the bigger gaps in my library include YA and lesbian lit. Just my luck, then, that MrsLangdonAlger posted a review for not one but two YA coming out novels with female protagonists: Ask the Passengers by A.S. King and It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura. I’ve had an eye out for both books for a few months now, finally picking up Ask the Passengers a few weeks ago at one of my favorite places in the world: Powell’s World of Books in Portland, Oregon.

Astrid escapes from her family and small Pennsylvania town by lying on her backyard picnic table and watching planes fly over, sending love to the unseen passengers. She tries to do the same with the people she knows, but it isn’t easy. As often goes with small towns, everyone is into everyone else’s business, gossiping and criticizing and reveling in others’ misery. Everyone has secrets — including Astrid — but not everyone is good at keeping them.

Astrid has been fooling around with a coworker, bringing her to question her own sexuality for the first time. Perfect high school power couple Kristina and Justin are secretly bearding for each other, sneaking off to the city every Saturday night to hang out at a gay club with their real girlfriend and boyfriend, Donna and Clay. Even after Astrid finally gives in and goes out with them, she still takes her time revealing her own secret, even to her best friend Kristina.

When the club is raided, all the illusions of perfection are shattered. The gossip machine kicks into high gear, and the town’s simmering homophobia boils over. Friendships and relationships are strained. Parents are furious. And even after all of the revelations, Astrid stubbornly insists on being allowed to do things in her own time, frustrating both friends and family.

I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed this book as much as I did. The story itself was fairly conventional and the supporting characters too thinly drawn. The humanities class exploring Greek philosophy felt forced, and unrealistic, obligatory and trite. And though I found Astrid likable overall, she became strangely full of herself towards end, and for me, she never fully recovered.

And yet the telling is lovely enough to overcome those issues. Astrid’s narrative voice is distinct and consistent, and I appreciated how King focused more on the issue of questioning than coming out itself, an experience too often ignored in stories like this. I enjoyed the brief breakaways to the airplane passengers, and King was wise enough to use that device sparingly to avoid distracting too much from the main story. And I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a Greek chorus, especially as employed here in the form of imaginary-friend Greek philosopher Frank Socrates.

A.S. King took a familiar story with familiar tropes and somehow made something charming and special. I have to admire that.

(This review was originally posted as part of Cannonball Read 10: Sticking It to Cancer, One Book at a Time.)

Good topic. Interesting idea. Poor execution.

This book was so hard for me to get through. Characters lacked depth and chemistry and the plot was not focused enough. Too many scenes lacked conflict. Stakes weren't clearly stated nor high. And there was a lot of telling, instead of showing. I felt like the author rushed through writing the book and published an early draft. I don't know about the author's other works, but this book alone makes me think King should take a few more classes in creative writing. I would really like to see this story rewritten in a more compelling manner. I did see glimpses of the author's intentions while I read. I only wish those intentions were better realized throughout the story.

I think my biggest issue was the seemingly abrupt ending, caused by the fact there's nearly 70 pages of preview for another book, so I thought there was more story coming, and oop, no, that's the end. I think that just set me up for disappointment, because I was wanting to read more and there was no more. Just done. I guess that's a good selling point. Disappointed by the ending, because it ended.

I love A. S. King's style... It's slightly dark and brutally honest... And it paints young adults as they are... Complicated creatures. This is a fantastic book about discovering love and yourself amongst parental drama and the thousands of eyes in a high school. It is impactful and artistic. Well worth the read.

I bought this book expecting myself to love it as much as it seems others have. I was extremely disappointing though. I could barely get through the first chapter and stopped very early in the book. It was not memorable at all, and I see how the King was trying to build the characters slowly so you got to know them, but for me it was WAAAY too slow. Maybe someday i'll try again and force myself to really get into the book, but I don't see it happening.

This book! Loved it so much. It's a great book for anyone struggling with the burden of any kind of label and looking for the courage to love others and love themselves. The messages in this novel are delightful and have stuck with me. Definitely going to re-read!