Train Wrecker - by Andrew Livingston (Paperback)

About the Book

Train Wrecker is a front-row seat to the phantasmagorical, no-holds barred, contest in which we all participate: growing up.

Book Synopsis

Train Wrecker is a front-row seat to the phantasmagorical, no-holds barred, contest in which we all participate: growing up.

In this debut fictional memoir, Andrew Livingston unveils a vivid portrait of coming of age in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the top-down, seatbelt-free, joy-ride of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Funny and honest, Livingston investigates his turbulent family life under the tyranny and ultimately, the tragedy, of his father's alcoholism. The novel's protagonist, 'Handy Andy' journeys from boy to young man, experiencing both the transformative power of literature and the frustration of being an individual against the system.

"Before I called it a night, I heard the Old Man's big brogues stomping on the floor upstairs and the door to his bedroom slam shut with a heavy thud. The dogs closed their eyes. The kettle on the stove, the stools in the kitchen, the mattresses on the beds, the chair in the study, even the glasses in the cupboard, everything in the house let out a collective sigh of relief. "

Review Quotes

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great read!

Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2024This book brought back memories of my adolescent years in a way few books ever has. It captures the best and worst of growing up in the 70's and 80's and resonated just as much with my kids who read it to better understand what life was like before smartphones and the internet changed the world and shrank attention spans. Highly recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars

great coming of age story

Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2024Part Ham on Rye, part Catcher in the Rye, but utterly unique and sui generis and its own thing. By turns funny and touching, without ever being overtly rib-tickling or sentimental. Livingston's prose is clean, clear, and crisp. A must-read for anyone who enjoys a good bildungsroman aka coming-of-age yarn.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend!

Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2024Funny and touching but never sentimental, this is the kind of novel the reading world needs more of-a lovely kind of Bildungsroman with a light touch I recognized from my favourite mid-century authors (Cheever, Salinger) but that speaks directly to the GenX heart. I couldn't put it down!