Train Dreams
A New York Times Notable Book for 2011
One of The Economist's 2011 Books of the Year
One of NPR's 10 Best Novels of 2011
From the National Book Award-winning author Denis Johnson (Tree of Smoke) comes Train Dreams, an epic in miniature, and one of Johnson's most evocative works of fiction.
Suffused with the history and landscapes of the American West—its otherworldly flora and fauna, its rugged loggers and bridge builders—this extraordinary novella poignantly captures the disappearance of a distinctly American way of life.
It tells the story of Robert Grainer, a day laborer in the American West at the start of the twentieth century—an ordinary man in extraordinary times. Buffeted by the loss of his family, Grainer struggles to make sense of this strange new world. As his story unfolds, we witness both his shocking personal defeats and the radical changes that transform America in his lifetime.
My posts about this book
Finished reading: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 📚
Finished reading: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 📚
It’s slow-paced, sad, and atmospheric. Every page has a sentence that stops you, makes you reread it, highlight it, or look away from the page to ponder and let your mind build the scene and absorb the meaning. A really gifted writer. Time is compressed in this Novella that covers the protagonist’s full life. Yet you don’t feel shortchanged; you don’t want more. You have walked alongside Robert Grainier; you understand him in a way a friend would. When this short story ends, you are left to dwell on the meaning, if there is one, and wish Robert all the peace in the world.
It feels like every word counts. Nothing extra, just beautiful minimal prose that tells a story of a man’s life. I really enjoyed this book and give it 5 stars, but I can also see how it’s not for everyone. I looked at the average rating on StoryGraph, and it’s 3.8 compared to my solid 5.
This was my first book by Denis Johnson, and I will be reading more of him. I have already added books to the queue: Seek, Jesus’ Son, and Tree of Smoke.