juniperbranches 's review for:

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

3.5

challenging mysterious reflective 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: No

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What do a queer black man, the child of a murdered mother, a famous medium and a cross dressing celebrity all have in common? 

They are all stuck behind a mudslide between Calgary and Banff on a luxury train in the mid 1920’s. Baxter is a sleeping car porter, and his dream of becoming a dentist hinges on his success at smiling at rude passengers, and sleeping when he can in 15 minute shifts during 48 hour long cross country trips. As hallucinations brought on by the lack of sleep start to set in Baxter must hold tight to reality to keep his sexuality under wraps and to hold on to the job that works him to the bone, but just might one day pay his way into dental school. 

The tone of this novel feels like a shift from other books I’ve been reading lately, and I think it’s the authors attempt to draw us into the reality of Baxter’s sleep deprived state. I definitely enjoyed the book but there is something unsettling in the voice. (Might just be all the tooth reference though)