Down there by the train

by Kate Sterns

bBarnes Noble Review Discover Great New Writers/bbrNewly released from a penitentiary, where he has been incarcerated for committing a deranged burglary, Levon, in search of food and human warmth, stops by the diner owned by his friend Sweeney. As a condition of his parole, Levon must accept a job offered to him by his mysterious cousin Simon, a baker on a nearby island. As Sweeney tells Levon stories with vague and unsettling references to the strange nature of the island, Levon grows ever more intrigued. But when he misses the last ferry, Levon is forced to walk over the precarious frozen water to reach his new home.pStumbling ashore, nearly frozen himself, Levon arrives at the wrong end of the island, finding only a run-down house. Inside is the very peculiar Obdulia Limb, who, in the midst of a quiet suicide attempt, nearly kills Levon instead. As Levon unravels Obdulia's story, he finds himself surrounded by curious people, and the object of conspirators, trapped in a gruesome and bizarre plan. pKate Sterns has created a macabre, gothic love story, steeped in mystery and populated by extraordinary characters. iDown There by the Train/i is by turns poignant, fantastical, and tragic, and a must-read for fans of iHouse of Leaves/i and iObservatory Mansions/i. i(Winter/Spring 2004 Selection)/i

Genres: Fiction, Canada

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Ace McGee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Protagonist released from prison, goes to Canadian Island where he knows no one because he has a job offer from a cousin he’s never met. Depressed because his sister died just previous to his legal problems. Quirky folks on island but mostly just plain mean.

Took a long time to read. Lot of starting and stopping. Bad characters, bad people, no one standing up to or for anything.

[Waven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pleasant little story focusing on a small group of islanders and how both love and grief touched their lives. The prose is a bit overwrought at times but more often is imaginative and insightful. Sterns's main characters are largely well-written and believable, her descriptions often spot-on. And although one sub-plot (the doughy conundrum) detracted from the story in places, it made the trip less predictable and provided some quite wonderful scenes. The tale concludes quietly, with no great surprise to see them out, but remains true enough to the characters and story. All in all I really enjoyed this book and found Sterns's writing quite beautiful.

[Theadra Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

not at all what I expected. I enjoyed it very much, though if there were 1 criticism it would be that the prose was "too much" in parts. It was not subtle.

Strangely, it felt a bit like a Tim Burton movie. I don't know if that makes sense but....it did.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so good. The writing was really overwrought and the end was weak. (Here comes a spoiler...) How do the protagonists deal with their big challenge? They just run away, and that's the end of the book. Seems like she had a lot of cool research and ideas but couldn't find a story for them.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Flip to any page in this book and you will find at least one completely outlandish and off-putting simile, sometimes more. The prose is overladen and self-consciously referential. The story is bizarre and seemed rather pointless at the end.

[Tina Redmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man whose sister has died, leaves prison to work with his cousin on an island. It was interesting but definitely weird, but the kind of quirky weird that made me continue reading it. A couple of lines in it that I really liked.

[Sandy Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd story. About felons. Didn't flow.