Stranger on a Train

£7.99

I was going to record that this is two journeys in one, in fact it is more than that, much more. Diski begins by taking a cargo boat across the Atlantic, followed by a train journey in the American South. There then follows a second train journey round the exterior of the States.
The book also forms a second volume of autobiography, Skating to Antarctica detailing her relationship with her parents and her periods of mental illness. Most journeys within the States are taken by air and train travel is regarded as something of an anathema. But Diski enjoys the pace of train travel and the chance to view the country and the scenery. She also soon discovers that her passion for nicotine consigns her to the special smoking carriages, the sin bins of the transport system. But, it is here that she has the majority of her encounters. Diski is honest if not brutal about her self and her fellow travellers in this very personal journey. Unlike many books published in the travel genre, there is some actual discussion about why we travel, the solitude of a voyage and the people we meet.

Reviewed by Lauren Wright, Marketing Manager,Stanfords

Shortlisted for the 2003 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.