Train

Pete Dexter

Plenty of action but demands quite a bit of emotional effort to connect to the three main characters and get to the more reflective level of this story of colliding worlds as black meets white, rich meets poor, man meets woman. The psychological tensions of the plot are increased by the context of racial tension permeating 1940's America.

Extract

Train stood up for a better look, and then sat back down and waited. Thinking it might be a trick. He looked at the mirror, then at the door. Nothing happened, nobody came. The deputy lay on the floor, the spike still stuck through his hand, his feet jerking little jerks like a baby in his booties.

Train pictured how this would look from the door when other deputies finally come it, and soon, without really knowing he was doing it, he got up and walked out.

Parallels