Staff Pick: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

Melancholy yet strangely life-affirming, this novella tells the story of Robert Grainier, a labourer and sometime-logger in the American West from the 1880s to the 1960s. Grainier’s life is laid out through a series of vignettes and the book packs a lot into 116 pages. This life coincides with the United States becoming the world’s dominant superpower and Grainier’s relative gentleness is implicitly contrasted with the violence and chaos that surrounds him as the ‘American Century’ unfolds.

On a more intimate level, after a personal tragedy befalls him, Grainier is often alone and unbearably lonely. When he engages with other people the interactions seem to take on a greater significance than they might otherwise. He is unfailingly polite and good-natured in these interactions and makes those around him happier. If his life had any meaning it was in how he affected those he met. However, as he moves into old age, the books suggests that Grainier will die having left no mark on the world. This tension is at the heart of the story and falling on one side of the argument or the other may depend on your disposition. The journey is the point, however, and this journey is worth taking.

Borrow the book from your local library.

Submitted by Peadar.