Fellow Passengers: A Novel in Portraits

Many stories have predictable plot points that are rehashed with new characters and settings. However, this book exemplifies Auchincloss's ability to tell a story without falling into the trap of one of these expected archetypes. Each chapter in the book corresponds to one person in the narrator's life, including family members, co-workers, school buddies, and family friends. Each character sketch is thoughtfully presented with delightful details. Although these portraits are totally unrelated in that each does not refer back to details in the previous chapters, they come together coherently to tell the story of the narrator, who not only ages with each chapter but also matures in his opinions about each character. The language flows easily, neither being too fast paced, nor too dry. A great read.

Writer Auchincloss usually writes tedious family-history novels but here he writes a book wherein each chapter is about a separate unconnected character. The result is insightful, different, and fascinating. I held back one star in my rating because I just don't care for books about the well-to-do; they seem (as this one sometimes does) pretentious and self-congratulatory. But the characters here are fully realized and will hold your interest. The book has the added advantage of each character having said just enough about him/her, so that you do not get tired of the personality. If you're looking for something a bit different, that you can pick up and put down, this is a good read.