Title: Passengers
Author: Alexander Maksik
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
Publisher: Europa Editions
Format Read: Kindle e-ARC
Genre: Literary Fiction
I’m not sure my review will even begin to do this story justice. The premise is what drew me to Passengers by Alexander Maksik. It is about a father and semi-estranged daughter who have agreed to visit Paris, a lifetime dream Ivan has had for the two of them. They meet at LAX, but their flight is repeatedly delayed, so they spend the day wandering the concourse, talking, and introspecting. After a time, though, they begin to realize that something is very wrong and that they need to escape.
This story is heavily character-driven. We spend a lot of time in both Ivan’s and Nina’s minds as they talk about and remember the past. Maksik has a real strength in crafting characters. These are two complicated people who feel as though they could really exist. I felt this way about the minor characters we glimpse, too. As Ivan and Nina wander, we learn about their history. It is as naturally complex as many parent-child relationships are, seen in their recollections, or lack thereof, of certain events and their different, often conflicting perspectives on the same moments. Yet the love they have for one another is, if not crystal clear, at least as clear as quartz or opal.
As we progress in the story, it gradually takes on more of a fever-dream quality. What is real? What is not? There is no sense of time. This may feel strange to some readers, but it allows the situation they find themselves in to mirror what real-life relationships can be like. Time blends together, so we cannot always remember exactly where the pieces of our history belong.
Passengers is a story about a father and daughter trying to love one another despite years of hurt and misunderstanding, and about the impossibility of fully protecting the people we love. Of course, Ivan has always wanted to protect Nina from everything, but here he comes to the realization that it is impossible to do so. It revolves around their connection and solidarity in the face of fear, isolation, and uncertainty. It also touches upon grief, regret, aging, and mortality. Some of the heavier threads woven through the tale are loss of agency, with people reduced to “passengers” in systems and events beyond their control, and societal collapse from within, including institutional secrecy, manufactured normalcy, and passivity. Does this remind anyone else of current world events? So timely.
The writing is literary, restrained, and deeply character-focused. Maksik uses clear, unshowy prose, sharp dialogue, and close interiority to reveal the distance between Ivan and Nina, then layers in vivid, unsettling imagery as the airport’s reality begins to fracture. It is emotionally observant and quietly tense rather than fast or flashy.
Passengers is a story that snuck up on me. I was interested, but not invested, for a good deal of it. However, Maksik roped me in like I was a young calf, and by the end, I COULD. NOT. PUT. IT. DOWN. The fever-dream quality is still with me. Speaking realistically, though, it is a story that will not be for everyone, even though I think it is amazing. It may not even be for most. It is a story for people whose minds love to delve into deeper meanings and for people who enjoy fiction that explores family relationships, especially parent-child relationships. Readers who have enjoyed Rachel Cusk, Jenny Offill, or Paul Yoon may also find something to love here.
Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓 — 4.75 Nerds, rounded to 5 Nerds where necessary. A thoughtful, eerie, and deeply human story about the limits of love and protection in a collapsing world.
Click here to learn more about Alexander Maksik and Passengers.
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I read a digital copy made available by Europa Editions through NetGalley, and this review reflects my honest opinion.