Train Dreams

"A masterpiece... One of the best prose writers in our time" – Michael Ondaatje

An epic miniature of one man's life journey through the American West at the turn of the twentieth century, Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier, a day labourer working in the rugged wilderness of the American frontier.

A Life Shaped by Change and Loss

Grainier spends his days felling trees to feed the railways, as the world around him transforms at a rapid pace. Set at the dawn of the twentieth century, this is a time of profound change, where life remains fragile amidst the harsh realities of the frontier.

• Fragility of Frontier Life: Disease and forest fires are constant threats.
• Personal Loss: Buffeted by the devastating loss of his family, Grainier embarks on a journey to make sense of the bewildering changes reshaping his nation.

A Rich and Haunting Narrative

Written in a style that is rich, muscular, sweeping, and incantatory, Train Dreams is:

• An elegy to the ravaged beauty of a lost landscape.
• A haunting indictment of the cost of our modern way of life.

Praise for Train Dreams

• "A work of extraordinary power and consummate skill... A masterpiece" – Observer
• "I don't think there is a sentence in the book that isn't perfectly made" – Ann Patchett, New York Times