Review by leahegood - This Train Is Being Held

leahegood 's review for:

This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Williams

5.0

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Summary
Alex and Isa are NYC teens with busy lives, complicated families, and very different socio-economic statuses. Isa loves dance, throwing herself into ballet to escape from the emotional strain of a family she loves despite the way her mother and brother's bipolar disorder frequently disrupts the peace. Alex throws himself into baseball to earn respect--his papi's and the people who look at him with apprehension and judgement until they realize he's an athlete. When they bump into each other on the subway, there's undeniable spark, but NYC is a big place and it's unlikely they'll ever meet again. Until they do.

My Thoughts
This is a book I'll be coming back to. Few books capture emotion as well as this one. My favorite element is the bubble of peace Alex and Isa enjoy in each other's company. Many books with a romantic plot highlight different elements of love, but few capture and invite the reader into the way the right person can dampen the noise of the world and create a pocket of calm for the one they love. This Train Is Being Held captures that so well. It also highlights topics relevant to our world in a nuanced, accessible, empathetic, and non-preachy manner. Isa's and her family struggle with the impact of two family members suffering from Bipolar Disorder. They experience job loss and a change of socio-economic status stacked on top of the pre-existing mental health struggles. Meanwhile Alex navigates the world as a minority male--constantly aware of people's reaction to him. He deals with persistent anxiety around police and tries to figure out what to do when one of his best friends gets sucked into a gang. In each of these scenarios, Williams avoids the pitfall of preaching. Instead of hitting readers over the head with these scenarios, she simply shows events and their practical and emotional impact and allows readers to feel alongside the characters.

Isa and Alex are nuanced characters ... far from perfect but also good kids. Isa loves her family fiercely and does her best to help them through their struggles. Alex is charictaristically polite, respectful to his mother and affectionate towards his little brother, and deeply loyal towards his friends. They're great characters to spend time with. (Also, I really enjoyed the narrators for this book. I think they did a lot to bring Alex and Isa's personalities to life.)

My one complaint with this book is the sexual content. It is all solidly closed-door, but (call me old-fashioned), I don't like YA fiction to depict teens sleeping together. I know it's the reality of high schooler's lives, but I don't think fiction should normalize it. See below for additional details.

Content Disclosure
Sexual: The main characters kiss frequently and sleep together once in a fade-to-black scene. Secondary characters comment on past sexual history, kiss, and engage above-the-belt and under-clothing touching.

Cursing: Frequent swearing, but (for English readers) I think it was all in Spanish. The most common exclamation I'm assuming is not considered as offensive in Dominican slang as the direct translation would be in American English.

Violence: Alex is frequently anxious and apprehensive regarding police presence.

His friend Danny's gang involvement leads to a life-threatening show down in the climax of the story. Knife violence is threatened, opposing gang members make suggestive advances on Isa, and Alex's fears of police violence come to fruition.

Religion: Minimal to non-existent. In a few instances, Alex responds in relief with "gracias a Dios" (thank God).

Content Warnings