M Train

So I recently finished this book - and apart from the bohemian undertones I could feel - I can say that there was no hipster here. It was very self-inflicted and extremely passionate. All of this without sounding forced. As you can tell, this is gonna be a positive review. 

I first looked at "M Train" when I was in a Foyles book store in the "3 for 2" section. I browsed for a while and then picked up this book that I knew I had seen on a book-based Facebook page. After reading the blurb I ultimately thought that this would be a wannabe-bohemian going through the typical tortured artist routine blah blah blah. 

But no, this was something else entirely. 


Characters:

My favourite character was Fred. He seemed to be spoken about with such loyalty and dignity - but all of every emotion that noted him was tinged with sadness and tragedy. I think that the most important construction of Fred's character was the fact that the narrator formed his 3 dimensional image and then tore it right back down again. 

Themes:

My favourite theme was tragedy and redemption. There was an autonomy in this that was almost as if it was routine. Everything that was narrated with hinted with an uncertain sadness and when tragedy does hit - everything goes right back to the beginning and a new clock starts again. The redemption is almost unwilling and yet - it is completely necessary. 

Storyline:

The ending was the most complete part for me. There was something about the ending that made me just think of the start and the middle and everything in between. It was very complete - yet it was passive and had something missing. It had something missing on purpose - as if to say that there is no real ending. That life goes on. And whatever happens to you or anyone else - time just continues. 

Verdict:

I give this book 9 

100% for characters: Fred was my favourite character and will remain so. 

100% for themes: Tragedy, sadness, redemption, the passage of time... They're brilliantly done. 

100% for storyline: The ending was something that I've never read from another writer. It was a beautifully poetic book.