Embark on a captivating journey across the vast Russian steppe aboard the iconic Trans-Siberian Railway in this modern tale of self-discovery and introspection. The narrator, known only as D, begins his westward voyage in Vladivostok, traversing the ever-changing landscapes that unfold before him. As time moves inexorably onward, the everyday lives of the passengers intertwine with the rhythmic churning of the train’s propellers, contrasting sharply with the raw silence of the natural world beyond the windows.As the journey progresses, D’s physical expedition takes an unexpected turn, delving into the depths of his own psyche. A haunting presence, N, permeates the narrative, her essence imbued in the natural world, particularly at the breathtaking Lake Baikal in Siberia. N represents the one who got away, leaving a void and a profound fragility within D’s soul, scattering her ghostly influence across the many places his footsteps tread.Immersed in the tranquil vistas of the external world, D finds himself enamoured by the everyday characters he encounters along the way. As he navigates the complexities of his inner turmoil and the beauty of his surroundings, the narrator embarks on a transformative odyssey. The D who began his journey in Vladivostok will inevitably be different from the one who arrives in Moscow at journey’s end, but what will this transformation entail? Join D on this introspective voyage as he unravels the mysteries of his past, present, and future on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

He is a man of solitude. His world is that of the quiet and distilled. Each night, he sits at his desk as the clock strikes midnight. He journeys inward to that bottomless pit of conflict, prompted by memory, in search of an image fused with the imagination in order to reveal truth through character and the creative narrative process. The words become sentences and they are formed. And so it all begins. This was his first attempt and successful completion of a full-length book. His name is Daniel C.A. Christianson.

Customer Reviews

4.7

114 reviews

Joan

The reader is taken on 2 journeys which incorporates the writer’s love of travel by train and his inner journey of emotional turmoil. He is happy in the knowledge that he is now a writer and has attained his goal in having this book published. That is no mean feat. A really interesting read .
Davide Berg

The entire book and its meaning can be summed up in its first and last sentences. The first sentence introduces us to the protagonist who loved trains since he was a boy 'I was nine years old when I first fell in love with a train' and the final sentence of the book brings a full realization for the protagonist about how he should live his life. In his 'I can finally proclaim these words: I am a writer' the protagonist knows that the only way he can truly be happy and live such a life of value and truth is to become a writer. In many ways the young boy of nine continues to reside within this mature, sensitive but deeply tortured man. The innocence and spirit of the young boy will be able to help this deeply contemplative man navigate and live in this very divisive world. The combination of the mature man writing whilst travelling along such long journeys into his past is so important to remove all the distraction and waste from his life and bring in only what is of importance and substance so that ultimate meaning will be understood.
Orla Davenport

It is difficult to know if the author who wrote this book and his protagonist are one and the same person. There are moments when I do sense that they are the same but then at other moments and specifically during the long monologue scene at lake baikal in Siberia I get the sense that the author has distanced himself from the narrative and in his place comes the protagonist who in many ways becomes a universal everyman and everywoman, s spokesperson for humanity in his rhetorical conversation with a creator who never responds to the many questions that is asked from it. The reader who follows along such a journey will also find that they too have many questions to ask when the train rolls to a halt in Moscow.
Colin Spicer

Travel by plane doesn’t have the same fascination as by train. Journey by car can take many routes and by bus one is fixed with one accompanying seat. By train the rails are fixed and the destination is known but as in this journey the fellow passengers can be many. Our author makes such good use of this. The route is closed to most of us in Western Europe and with the tensions between world governments at present it is comforting to be made aware by Christianson that people in all those Eastern time zones are humans like us. And our author is so human. He regrets, he worries, he plans and looks for something better. As I was reading I was inspired to look up the various places on Google Maps. I didn’t need to check on the mental picture he conveys. Thanks Daniel for taking me with you.
Simon Faulkner

I sense following my close reading of this book that the protagonist is searching for a new meaning and way of life away from the old life that he came from. The journey along the transsiberian railway from Vladivostok begins in the present but the protagonist must venture into the past and sift through the many memories, the moments of suffering and the various demons that reside there in order to somehow make amends and peace with such a past so that he will now be able to find a path into his future. However, this future life will have to be lived without the presence of N. He desires her more than anything in this world but when he is confronted with the past he realises that the love they once shared has died and so he now has no choice but to move on into the future and to find an entire new value system and love.
Daphne Mullers

At the heart of this very thought-provoking book is a contemplation on life and death. The entire middle section of the book is dedicated to such topics and the mortality of the human being is never to far away from the author's mind. The protagonist is a deeply sensitive individual who is trying to move forward along his own individual journey through life but he continues to be brought back to his past through the memories of N, his great love. Everywhere he goes he sees N and longs for her to return to him but his wish will never be granted. The love that the protagonist once shared with N correlates to life but the destruction of their love correlates to the death that he now feels and such a hopelessness continues to plague his soul.
Matthew Spicer

This read is two journeys taken at the same time by the same man. One takes us with him to fascinating places that few of us will see for ourselves. The other is to a place that only he knows. We are honoured to be part of both.
Jonathan Ruettiger

Before I ever go out and purchase a book I always spend time observing and researching book covers as I find that so much of the story is subtly contained on the front and back covers of the book. The front and back cover of this book really stood out to me. The colors are so warm and striking; they ooze a sophistication that draws a reader in. I like how the silhouette of the main character on the front cover is positioned outside of the train whilst at the same time he is very much rooted to the natural landscape that surrounds him. There is a nostalgia back to the past and to the world of the 19th and 20th centuries with the age of steam locomotive at the height of its gilded power. The amber and golden brown of the sun's setting contrasts beautifully with the deep blue of the mountainous terrain that surrounds the environment. The depth of the in between dark forest coverings fits the scene so well with the pastoral green hue of the foreground. Everything seems to be in their natural place except for that of the main character. He looks to be transparent even though he is rooted to the soil of the earth. That is just the first impression I have made upon looking at the book and holding it in my hand. I am yet to turn inside and read the words of the author but the quality of the book cover really stands out and demanded my attention.