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lemoneverdeen's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
raulbime's review
4.0
Every now and then I’m grateful that a prize did its work and led me to a great book. In this case being that this book won the Giller Prize, which, quite frankly, I don’t really follow; and coincidentally saw its win as a piece of news with a short description of the book that fascinated me.
This is a lovely book about a Black gay train porter, Baxter, working (being terribly overworked) in 1920s Canada. It’s the kind of work that excavates what’s overlooked, forgotten, buried, and ignored, and turns it into a poignant rich tale. I’m amazed with how the writer was able to take several themes difficult to explore in fiction all at once: homophobia and the devastation it wreaks; racism, in all its subtle and not-so-subtle manifestations; horrible working conditions the working class endures to earn a meagre living; the plight of the immigrant, and all else in between and intertwined.
I remember reading Baldwin talking about how difficult it was to write a Black and gay novel when he was asked about [b:Giovanni's Room|406235|Giovanni's Room|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1223664870l/406235._SY75_.jpg|814207], after it followed [b:Go Tell It on the Mountain|17143|Go Tell It on the Mountain|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348424233l/17143._SY75_.jpg|1027995], and why the book’s main characters were white. Baldwin went on to write a book with a Black gay main character later on, [b:Just Above My Head: A Novel|38457|Just Above My Head A Novel|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403171798l/38457._SY75_.jpg|248225], which I should, and plan to, read later. Undoubtedly it’s easier to be entrapped in situations where the story can turn into a blatant moral tale with the book serving as little other than political themes with characters and the plot given little flesh and taking the supplementary position in what would have been better suited as non-fiction. Which isn’t to mean that socio-political themes can’t be interweaved well into fiction; some of my favourite books carry these themes (all books do but that’s another conversation) and I tend to seek out books that do.
Baxter, our protagonist, saves up the spare earnings he gets working almost all day and night in service of the passengers on the train so that he can go to school to become a dentist. He is lonely with unfulfilled desire, and acting on his desire could mean the loss of his job and possibly jail time, and, as is the norm in such cases, finds release in few seedy encounters, having little in form of companionship. So, a pitiable state. Despite this Baxter is still empathetic, caring, thoughtful; a character who is very easy to love and root for.
That most of this book takes place in a train, however, made for boring stretches. Minutiae of the responsibilities of porters and workings and schedules of trains, which was well researched I must add, and impressively too, was just not interesting to me and I preferred when we slipped into Baxter’s mind and past. The passengers on the train as well, petulant, annoying, disregarding, and really not that different from a lot of service seekers or clients a century later, weren’t interesting either even when they did help to move the story with their ridiculous and even scandalous affairs. I guess I just loved Baxter and wanted the story to completely remain with him which is selfish of me in a way, but what a wonderful story all the same.
This is a lovely book about a Black gay train porter, Baxter, working (being terribly overworked) in 1920s Canada. It’s the kind of work that excavates what’s overlooked, forgotten, buried, and ignored, and turns it into a poignant rich tale. I’m amazed with how the writer was able to take several themes difficult to explore in fiction all at once: homophobia and the devastation it wreaks; racism, in all its subtle and not-so-subtle manifestations; horrible working conditions the working class endures to earn a meagre living; the plight of the immigrant, and all else in between and intertwined.
I remember reading Baldwin talking about how difficult it was to write a Black and gay novel when he was asked about [b:Giovanni's Room|406235|Giovanni's Room|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1223664870l/406235._SY75_.jpg|814207], after it followed [b:Go Tell It on the Mountain|17143|Go Tell It on the Mountain|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348424233l/17143._SY75_.jpg|1027995], and why the book’s main characters were white. Baldwin went on to write a book with a Black gay main character later on, [b:Just Above My Head: A Novel|38457|Just Above My Head A Novel|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403171798l/38457._SY75_.jpg|248225], which I should, and plan to, read later. Undoubtedly it’s easier to be entrapped in situations where the story can turn into a blatant moral tale with the book serving as little other than political themes with characters and the plot given little flesh and taking the supplementary position in what would have been better suited as non-fiction. Which isn’t to mean that socio-political themes can’t be interweaved well into fiction; some of my favourite books carry these themes (all books do but that’s another conversation) and I tend to seek out books that do.
Baxter, our protagonist, saves up the spare earnings he gets working almost all day and night in service of the passengers on the train so that he can go to school to become a dentist. He is lonely with unfulfilled desire, and acting on his desire could mean the loss of his job and possibly jail time, and, as is the norm in such cases, finds release in few seedy encounters, having little in form of companionship. So, a pitiable state. Despite this Baxter is still empathetic, caring, thoughtful; a character who is very easy to love and root for.
That most of this book takes place in a train, however, made for boring stretches. Minutiae of the responsibilities of porters and workings and schedules of trains, which was well researched I must add, and impressively too, was just not interesting to me and I preferred when we slipped into Baxter’s mind and past. The passengers on the train as well, petulant, annoying, disregarding, and really not that different from a lot of service seekers or clients a century later, weren’t interesting either even when they did help to move the story with their ridiculous and even scandalous affairs. I guess I just loved Baxter and wanted the story to completely remain with him which is selfish of me in a way, but what a wonderful story all the same.
donnaslibrary's review against another edition
3.25
appreciated the research that went into this book, fun as a Canadian girlie to read. overall, learned a little history but struggled to enjoy the writing.
hobbs1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nev_04's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
katymurray's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
kappafrog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I almost gave up on this book because I was so grossed out by all the hygiene and dental details early in the book. However, I'm glad I stuck with it. Baxter turned out to be a really endearing main character, and I liked getting to know him better. He was so sweet with Esme. I loved that he was interested in science fiction, and reading about his struggles due to his race and sexuality was really compelling. At first I thought the writing style was over-wrought, but once I got into the rhythm of it, it really worked with the hallucinatory journey Baxter was on. I loved the ending too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Homophobia, Medical content, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Body horror, Grief, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Suicide, and Blood
laudmauth's review against another edition
I couldn’t follow the characters. I believe the character whose POV we follow gives riders on the train nicknames, but the reader is also provided real names, and I struggled to keep track.
missmelia's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25