Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In his debut novel The Passenger Seat, Vijay Khurana traces the bond between two teenage boys on a road trip that begins with freedom—and ends in something much darker. The story draws on the 2019 B.C. manhunt, and the book is a haunting exploration of masculinity, friendship, and the quiet moments where everything begins to unravel.
He spoke with Mattea Roach on #Bookends about the danger of passive complicity, the performance of manhood, and why fiction is the best way to confront what we don’t understand.
Stream the full conversation wherever you get your podcasts.
In his debut novel The Passenger Seat, Vijay Khurana traces the bond between two teenage boys on a road trip that begins with freedom—and ends in something much darker. The story draws on the 2019 B.C. manhunt, and the book is a haunting exploration of masculinity, friendship, and the quiet moments where everything begins to unravel.
He spoke with Mattea Roach on #Bookends about the danger of passive complicity, the performance of manhood, and why fiction is the best way to confront what we don’t understand.
Stream the full conversation wherever you get your podcasts.
