The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Thoroughly enjoyable. Another great read from Emma Donoghue. Fast and cleverly-paced. I happened to be listening the audiobook as well as reading the paperback and when the train was an hour and a half from the station, there was an hour and a half left. As usual, there is deep research lightly worn.

She is such a deft and skilled writer: certain rules you aren't supposed to break: i.e. no head-hopping and no naming characters after yourself (there is a gay couple, one of whom is named Emma) are subtly bent and turned on their head. The cast of characters is much bigger than any of her previous books that I've read. Yet, I felt invested in each one.

There are also a few "stowaways" from the history books who probably weren't on the train, such as JM Synge and one of Gaugin's models. Even the train itself is personified and seems to be a maternal force, giving birth to the 20th century, its progress (movies, cars, science fiction are all mentioned) and its horrors (anarchists, facism - some of the real characters went on to die at the hands of the Nazis, either in the resistance or concentration camps). So much packed into one book, yet it is a quick and engaging read.

Synge is mentioned but I think it is Joyce I felt most reading The Paris Express, especially the chapter in Ulysses where so many streams of consciousness are encountered (Wandering Rocks) and so many Joyce-like characters: exiles, painters and bohemians.

Last of all is the ending, no spoilers but it is built up to from the first page and propels the narrative right to the end. A lot of novels and movies are the aftermath of an event but The Paris Express is all about the lives and events right before. The ending is unexpected (no spoilers!) but shows an alternative to the driving force of modernism.



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