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Augustin Station
One wrong train. Four days in Romania. A life he can no longer pretend to live.
A married American teacher takes a solo weekend trip to Romania, seeking a brief escape from his carefully constructed expat life in Stockholm. When he boards the wrong train and ends up stranded in a forgotten village in the Carpathian foothills, a chance encounter sets off a chain of events that will challenge everything he's spent decades avoiding.
Over four days of unexpected detours, through medieval castles, mountain trails, and late-night conversations, he begins to confront the truth he's been hiding from himself since adolescence. In the raw, unpolished landscape of rural Romania, far from the life he's built and the person everyone expects him to be, he discovers that some revelations can't be ignored, no matter how much they threaten to upend everything.
Augustin Station is an intimate portrait of late-in-life awakening, exploring the cost of living inauthentically and the courage it takes to finally be honest with yourself and everyone else. A novel about desire, identity, and the moment you realize you can't go back to who you were.
A married American teacher takes a solo weekend trip to Romania, seeking a brief escape from his carefully constructed expat life in Stockholm. When he boards the wrong train and ends up stranded in a forgotten village in the Carpathian foothills, a chance encounter sets off a chain of events that will challenge everything he's spent decades avoiding.
Over four days of unexpected detours, through medieval castles, mountain trails, and late-night conversations, he begins to confront the truth he's been hiding from himself since adolescence. In the raw, unpolished landscape of rural Romania, far from the life he's built and the person everyone expects him to be, he discovers that some revelations can't be ignored, no matter how much they threaten to upend everything.
Augustin Station is an intimate portrait of late-in-life awakening, exploring the cost of living inauthentically and the courage it takes to finally be honest with yourself and everyone else. A novel about desire, identity, and the moment you realize you can't go back to who you were.
179 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2025
8 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Justin Greak
1 book4 followersBorn and raised in small-town Texas and now an expat based in Singapore, Justin Greak writes about identity, intimacy, and what it means to start over in the middle of your life. He moved abroad in his thirties and has been writing ever since to make sense of everything that followed. He lives with his husband and a spoiled black street cat named Kopi.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 28, 2025
got this book as part of booksprout's ARC program - thank you!
there is a lot of weight that comes with writing so distinctly personal. Augustin Station is a deeply touching and emotional novella that moved me to the core. queerness is hard to accept in oneself, and even harder to admit for many. Greak employs very evocative yet deliciously simple language to create a very genuine character of the narrator that is so relatable and yet so unfamiliar even to himself. as his trip and his understanding of himself and what he wants develops, I could feel the satisfaction of heartbreak at the end.
Greak's writing style is phenomenal. he is clearly a master of bending the word to his will, and the process of reading and savouring the prose was immensely satisfying. there were passages that moved me so deeply that I had to take a break from reading and consider them and their delicacy. the erotic segments were particularly blunt in contrast with some other parts of the book, but intentionally and meaningfully so. the narrator's feelings are palpable throughout.
the only part I wasn't particularly satisfied with was the ending part and the epilogue, albeit this might be an issue of personal taste. they just felt a little too fast-paced.
there are some minor typographical errors in the ARC that I'm sure will be mended by the time this book is properly released.
I'm happy for Owen, and I'm happy for Justin Greak.
there is a lot of weight that comes with writing so distinctly personal. Augustin Station is a deeply touching and emotional novella that moved me to the core. queerness is hard to accept in oneself, and even harder to admit for many. Greak employs very evocative yet deliciously simple language to create a very genuine character of the narrator that is so relatable and yet so unfamiliar even to himself. as his trip and his understanding of himself and what he wants develops, I could feel the satisfaction of heartbreak at the end.
Greak's writing style is phenomenal. he is clearly a master of bending the word to his will, and the process of reading and savouring the prose was immensely satisfying. there were passages that moved me so deeply that I had to take a break from reading and consider them and their delicacy. the erotic segments were particularly blunt in contrast with some other parts of the book, but intentionally and meaningfully so. the narrator's feelings are palpable throughout.
the only part I wasn't particularly satisfied with was the ending part and the epilogue, albeit this might be an issue of personal taste. they just felt a little too fast-paced.
there are some minor typographical errors in the ARC that I'm sure will be mended by the time this book is properly released.
I'm happy for Owen, and I'm happy for Justin Greak.
November 11, 2025
This book is beautiful and heart-wrenching. At its core, it’s a love story, not only between the two main characters, but between the protagonist and his true self. It is also a love story about the chaos and beauty of travelling. It makes me think of the times I have followed my heart, for better or worse, in spite of the potential consequences.
The author writes in a style that I might normally not be drawn to, with large swaths of descriptive language. This author, however, doesn’t get stuck in his descriptions and draw away from the story, but rather uses them as a way to put the reader into the mind of the protagonist as he sees Romania for the first time. My favourite early description includes the phrase:
‘brutalist apartment blocks slouching towards collapse, construction sites frozen mid-gesture, walls wearing their graffiti like bright wounds. Then suddenly, we pass the last concrete structure and the air makes a sound like an exhale before going silent. The horizon suddenly opens up into endless fields. In the distance I see the faint outline of the Carpathian mountain range.’
At once it made me understand the decrepitude of a post-Ceaușescu Romania, while also making me want to travel there and see these contradictions for myself.
Would definitely recommend.
The author writes in a style that I might normally not be drawn to, with large swaths of descriptive language. This author, however, doesn’t get stuck in his descriptions and draw away from the story, but rather uses them as a way to put the reader into the mind of the protagonist as he sees Romania for the first time. My favourite early description includes the phrase:
‘brutalist apartment blocks slouching towards collapse, construction sites frozen mid-gesture, walls wearing their graffiti like bright wounds. Then suddenly, we pass the last concrete structure and the air makes a sound like an exhale before going silent. The horizon suddenly opens up into endless fields. In the distance I see the faint outline of the Carpathian mountain range.’
At once it made me understand the decrepitude of a post-Ceaușescu Romania, while also making me want to travel there and see these contradictions for myself.
Would definitely recommend.
November 18, 2025
WOW!! For such a short story, this packs a big punch. The dialogue was SO real and believable. I felt like I was in Owen’s head as well, his emotions and inner monologue were so real. Greak had a real knack for writing. What an amazing debut novella! Highly recommend!
December 20, 2025
Augustin Station is a warm reminder of how unexpectedly beautiful life can become when you are brave enough to follow your heart. Justin’s storytelling is beautifully descriptive yet incredibly easy to read — I flew through it.
Through my own evolving experience with sexuality, this story resonated deeply. It was reassuring to see a narrative that honours growth, uncertainty, and the courage it takes to live honestly.
Very grateful that I got my copy signed — it made the experience feel wonderfully personal. Highly recommend!
Through my own evolving experience with sexuality, this story resonated deeply. It was reassuring to see a narrative that honours growth, uncertainty, and the courage it takes to live honestly.
Very grateful that I got my copy signed — it made the experience feel wonderfully personal. Highly recommend!
November 12, 2025
I stumbled on this novel from a Reddit thread, and I'm so glad I found it. The story really drew me in, I sat down with it intending to read a few chapters and ended up finishing it that same evening. It's a pretty quick read but it hits hard. The story is about a married man on a solo trip to the mountains of Romania. He's married, but clearly has some identity issues that he's been working through. He ends up on a wrong train and through bad luck and happenstance gets dropped off in some middle of nowhere village in the middle of Romania.
I don't want to give too much away of the rest of the story, but it had me feeling some things as I read it. The feeling the author conveys with the quiet moments, the isolation, the unfamiliarity of a foreign country while also struggling with his sexuality, it just stuck with me. There’s this sense of longing that runs through the story, both for himself and for another that he meets along the way.
The writing is subtle and honest, and even though it’s not a long book, it lingers. I found myself thinking about the main character for days after finishing it.
If you’ve ever felt like you were standing on the edge of a big change, or if you’ve ever questioned whether you’re really living the life that fits you, or if you are someone who has come out of the closet (or thinking about doing so) this story will probably hit home.
I don't want to give too much away of the rest of the story, but it had me feeling some things as I read it. The feeling the author conveys with the quiet moments, the isolation, the unfamiliarity of a foreign country while also struggling with his sexuality, it just stuck with me. There’s this sense of longing that runs through the story, both for himself and for another that he meets along the way.
The writing is subtle and honest, and even though it’s not a long book, it lingers. I found myself thinking about the main character for days after finishing it.
If you’ve ever felt like you were standing on the edge of a big change, or if you’ve ever questioned whether you’re really living the life that fits you, or if you are someone who has come out of the closet (or thinking about doing so) this story will probably hit home.
November 16, 2025
This story completely pulled me in from the start. I was genuinely moved by the writing and found myself fully invested in the characters. The writing is beautifully crafted yet still easy to read, making the entire experience flow effortlessly.
A captivating and memorable read and I highly recommend it.
A captivating and memorable read and I highly recommend it.
November 7, 2025
I found this book on a reddit thread for self published offers to promote their book. It sounded interesting so I told Justin I would happily read it and if I liked it I would leave him a review.
My first thoughts while reading were about how beautifully descriptive the words were... I could see the places he was visiting so clearly, and I have no experience with Romania.
The story of a man finally accepting his own sexuality and learning to live his true life was so well written and crafted. It is a common enough story, it is hard to be "different" from what people expect you to be... but there is something so wonderful about following along with a man who finally finds himself in a strange place with a chance encounter. Bravo, I enjoyed the story immensely!
My first thoughts while reading were about how beautifully descriptive the words were... I could see the places he was visiting so clearly, and I have no experience with Romania.
The story of a man finally accepting his own sexuality and learning to live his true life was so well written and crafted. It is a common enough story, it is hard to be "different" from what people expect you to be... but there is something so wonderful about following along with a man who finally finds himself in a strange place with a chance encounter. Bravo, I enjoyed the story immensely!
January 5, 2026
“I used to think I’d wasted so much time. Now I see I was just late to my own beginning”
Best line to end a book.
My heart goes out to all of the closeted teens and adults in small towns. This book is the most honest portrayal of a “late in life” awakening. At the end of the day, the message I got from the book is that, you still have time to be who you truly want to be.
But damn you Justin Greak, for tugging at every emotional string imaginable.
Best line to end a book.
My heart goes out to all of the closeted teens and adults in small towns. This book is the most honest portrayal of a “late in life” awakening. At the end of the day, the message I got from the book is that, you still have time to be who you truly want to be.
But damn you Justin Greak, for tugging at every emotional string imaginable.
December 28, 2025
5 stars = perfect
I usually have a hard time giving a 5 star Rating, but in this case it was easy.
Too much of what's offered on Amazon is just a collection of M./M. romantic tropes. This reads Like biography. Like other reviewers, I find parallels with my own lived experience.
I hope this book gets enough Interest to encourage Justin to write another novel!
I usually have a hard time giving a 5 star Rating, but in this case it was easy.
Too much of what's offered on Amazon is just a collection of M./M. romantic tropes. This reads Like biography. Like other reviewers, I find parallels with my own lived experience.
I hope this book gets enough Interest to encourage Justin to write another novel!
December 21, 2025
amazing story
A beautiful story of becoming your true self. Owen’s Romanian trip, physically, mentally and spiritually should resonate with everyone. One of the best books I’ve read this year.
A beautiful story of becoming your true self. Owen’s Romanian trip, physically, mentally and spiritually should resonate with everyone. One of the best books I’ve read this year.
November 16, 2025
Wonderful book, evocative, real, worth the read. Left me wanting a sequel and wanting to know more about the characters and author. Please read.
December 5, 2025
Read this in one day. Great story telling.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews