Train Dreams

Reread.

Sentence for sentence, blow for blow - Train Dreams is top of class fiction writing.

Denis Johnson tells this story sparingly, as he should. Anecdotes might seem funny (he really is one of the funniest authors I've ever read) or sad or simple. But they all weave together to make a story so much greater than the sum of its parts.

It feels reductive to call this an American origin story. Yet it is. Robert Granier at first comes across as a basic everyman but he shows us where we all fall short, where our deepest fear and desire reside - of a life with meaning and community.

Is his life meaningful? Did he find community? In the face of immense loss he finds continuity and purpose. Why would you look down on him for not wanting more?