The novel contains enlightening discussions of various disasters , including the '' RMS Titanic '' , the Hartford circus fire , the Hindenburg disaster , the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 , the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa , the Boston Molasses Disaster , and , almost as prominently as the '' Titanic '' , the sinking of the '' USS Yorktown '' . ( Willis has written extensively in several novels about events in World War II . ) Connie Willis 's inspiration for '' Passage '' came in part from her mother 's death , when Willis was 12 . Willis felt frustrated that relatives and friends tried to comfort her with platitudes , so she wanted to write a novel that dealt with death honestly and could help people understand the process of death and mourning
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Passage (Willis novel)