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A review by shimmery
Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal
4.0
Milos is an apprentice at a Czech railway station at the end of the 2nd world war. Coming back to work after a suicide attempt, he slips back in to life with his two colleagues: the train dispatcher, who finds creative ways to be scandalous, and the station master, who when not seeking a promotion rushes upstairs to shout rants in to the ventilator or else disappears in to his loft of pigeons.
This book manages to be charming and funny while also having real horrors and sadness in it. The whole thing is only 85 pages long and the story is revealed in small scenes that slip from past to present and back so that it feels almost like a piece of cinema jumping between snapshots.
It's the kind of book that makes you braver for having read it. Some parts are downright silly, others heartbreaking; the juxtaposition is masterful. I really enjoyed it and will probably read it again.
This book manages to be charming and funny while also having real horrors and sadness in it. The whole thing is only 85 pages long and the story is revealed in small scenes that slip from past to present and back so that it feels almost like a piece of cinema jumping between snapshots.
It's the kind of book that makes you braver for having read it. Some parts are downright silly, others heartbreaking; the juxtaposition is masterful. I really enjoyed it and will probably read it again.