Precious Trash

Some details I loved: he was saving to become a dentist, so almost everyone he encounters he describes their dental problems. 

But overall there was just too much repetition and descriptions of tasks and passengers. The pace was extremely slow and had me sleepy. 

This book describes a lot of things and setting, but I didn’t feel any emotional attachment and without that, to me, you have nothing.

I didn’t really know where it was going, so with the awfully slow pace I just wanted it to end. I’m not someone who needs action, but I need that or characters feeling emotions in a way I can see and understand. It’s like when Baxter is in a group of people, he disappears. Maybe intentional, but also lacks me connecting as much with him. Slowly things unravel, but like way too slowly, I’m confused and bored and then something interesting happens and bam, move on, focus shifting away.

Also while the themes it explores are interesting, so little time on page is spent doing any actual work on these or time to reflect, it’s mostly just the character moving from train car to train car. 

The train stopping happens around 60% when I think this should’ve been much sooner to actually keep attention. The first half is just introducing characters in a very slow and overly long way.

Then after the train car stops, it’s like an entirely different book, the vibes are vastly different. Way better and finally there is direction, stakes, and intrigue!! 

But it’s much too late for me to care much.

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

3/5