1 Train

by Matthew Curcio

At nineteen, college student Cameron Grayson is caught between the crossroads of money, love, alcohol, and drugs in New York City's Upper West Side. When his self-made grandfather, Henry Grayson, suddenly dies of unspecified reasons, Cam is shocked to find that some of his grandfather's personal items have been passed down to him. Cameron's father, Chris, gives him strict orders to head uptown to the Bronx in the hopes of sorting things out. Cam doesn't go alone, though; he brings his lifelong friends Evan and Jake as partners in crime on this unexpected adventure. Hoping to learn more about the life of his grandfather, Cam starts to learn more about himself as well and finds overwhelming direction to his own future. Not realizing what he's getting himself into, Cam's life will forever change due to this one trip uptown on New York City's 1 Train subway line. He finds himself in deep with his friends but more in trouble with his most recent girlfriend, Victoria. Cam eventually comes to terms with the inevitability of human addiction and infidelity. Cam begins his journey uptown without realizing coming back down will cost him not only his money but everything he ever knew.

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2016

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

The initial appeal of this book was one of "OOOH SUBWAYS". The 1 line is my home line. When I first started reading the book I was happy to see that Cam's grandfather even lives in my neighborhood - presumably the hoity toity Fieldston section of Riverdale.

Beyond the beginning, the plot just goes more and more off the rails. This kid goes from typical 19 year old shenanigans and then all of a sudden gets wrapped up in insider trading and making money in shady ways? WTF...

It was a quick read but really, really implausible.