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rainbowbookworm's review
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Gaslighting
deanamethyst's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
kappafrog's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Medical content, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol
mikaylaslibrary's review
4.5
I think what I loved about it, other people might not, but I do think that it's a book that everyone should try to read.
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
pphector's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Racism
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I fell in love with Mayr's writing and her characters. The way she plays with words and evokes imagery is something I haven't come across in a while (if ever, considering all the nuances to an author's writing) and I was utterly delighted.
Baxter is such a memorable character, and I wanted to stay in his head for longer than 210 pages (likely because it's my preferred limited third person and not first person POV). His sense of humour, obsession with dentistry, friendliness with Esme (a 4/5yo insomniac grieving the loss of her mother), his bookish habits (same), etc. made for such a fascinating person.
While I had some understanding of what life might have been like for Black and queer folks in the 1920s, I didn't fully appreciate how that intersected with the absolutely appalling/ridiculous work conditions. Even people with more privileges had a rough go of it with the limited labour laws and protections we now enjoy today. Porters had to pay for any stolen linens etc. They earned demerit points and could be fired easily based on the word of passengers who had no sense of reality or compassion. I found the experiences Baxter had as a closeted gay Black immigrant man were starkly and effectively contrasted against various passengers and colleagues he had. Speaking of the passengers, some of them were just ugh awful - but all of them felt like people you'd meet today, almost 100 years later.
My one critique is I wish the 'train stuck on the tracks for several days' plot point (mentioned in the summary on the back of the book) was longer. I kept waiting for it, and it really only happened in the last 50ish pages of the book. I think we could have had an extra 20 pages to expand this section and arrive at the ending (which I liked overall - it wasn't traumatic or too fairytale ending happy either).
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book - it won the Giller for a reason. And I savoured the first 120 pages (reading it over many days in bits and pieces) and marathoned the last 90 pages in one sitting. Both methods are a great way to consume this book, but if I had to recommend one method, it would be to read it in larger chunks. I think you will feel more immersed in the setting and Baxter's POV that way.
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Classism
choicepotatoes_yetagain's review
3.5
you should absolutely judge this book by its cover
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and Grief
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
The writing was really effective in immersing the reader in Baxter’s world. I loved the way it highlighted the difference between the public and the private. The public and professional way Baxter responded to the passengers contrasted with his honest and often unflattering thoughts and opinions about them, while the public parts of the train which the passengers enjoyed juxtaposed with the behind the scenes view of places like the linen closet and the porter’s dining and sleeping areas which were considerably less glamorous. I also enjoyed the way Mayr let the passengers’ conversations and actions reveal their true characters and the way in which Baxter observed more than the passengers may have been aware of and thus knew things about them they may wish he didn’t.
Mayr captured the challenges of Baxter’s working life brilliantly, particularly the exhaustion suffered by being constantly on call, the hallucinations which resulted, and the subservient and demeaning way he was treated by many of the passengers who seemed to think he was beneath them and not worthy of basic civility, doubtless a result of both class and race. The difficulty of remaining polite yet the necessity of doing so in order to earn essential tips as well as retain his job also stood out.
The company treated its porters in a very punitive manner, exacerbating already challenging working conditions - fining them for items stolen by passengers, giving them demerit points based on customer complaints, seemingly with no investigation or right of reply, which would lead to dismissal once a certain number were accrued and spying on them via spotters. Reading this was a salutary lesson on problematic workplaces and the necessity of unions. As an employee Baxter was very vulnerable and this came through strongly. It would take just one passenger to upend his dreams.
Baxter’s identity as a closeted gay man made him extra vulnerable. Flashbacks to an incident from his past showcased the real world consequences of his sexuality, while on the train some passengers, possibly unknowingly possibly just thoughtlessly and carelessly, placed him in situations that were extra risky for him because of his sexuality.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. Mayr did a great job depicting the everyday working reality of a man on the margins of Canadian society and immersing the reader in that world.
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Classism
clemrain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
bookishplantmom's review
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism