Synopses & Reviews
A father and his estranged daughter reconnect to try to understand a decades-old trauma in this haunting novel, part ghost story, part lyrical exploration of family, aging, and how we remember the past.
At age 11, Helen disappeared in the wilderness of Mount Rainier National Park while camping with her father, Benjamin. She was gone for almost a week before being discovered and returned to her family. It is now 25 years later, and after more than two decades of estrangement, Helen and Benjamin reconnect at his home in Portland, Oregon, to try to understand what happened during the days she was gone. Meanwhile, Benjamin meets an odd pair, a woman and boy who seem driven to help him learn more about Helen's disappearance and send him on a journey that will lead to a murder house, uncanny possession, and a bone-filled body of water known as Sad Clown Lake, a lake "that could only be found by getting lost, that was never in the same place twice."
Passersthrough is a haunted, starkly lyrical novel set on the border between life and death.
Review
"Fascinating and moving." Ursula K. Le Guin
Review
"An eerie account of the attempted reconciliation between an estranged father and daughter…Rock draws on the mountain scenery to create a surreal atmosphere, culminating in a haunting scene of disaster." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A captivating page-turner…Its best elements, like its supernatural overtures, are reminiscent of Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)." Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Peter Rock is the author of ten previous works of fiction, including My Abandonment, which won the Alex Award and was adapted into the film Leave No Trace. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and is a professor of creative writing at Reed College. His previous novel, The Night Swimmers, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. He lives in Portland with his wife and two daughters.