The Train Home by Susan Richards Shreve

B

General Summary:
Will Huston is a scorned man from Ireland who comes to America (Washington DC) in search of revenge for the death of his little brother many years ago. Annie is a mother of two children; wife of a injured, mean, revengeful man; and opera singer. Will decides to disguise himself as a priest as he is on his mission to find and kill the man who killed his brother. Annie, in turn, has a life long obsession with priests. On Wills first day in the city, he catches Annie's eye on the metro. She feels as instant connection with him and begins to follow him. Will is so determined on his mission - he hardly notices the women following him around the city for a couple of days. He stays at a missionary house for free and tries to avoid connections with the other priests. At night Will goes to the Opera to fill his time. He forms a relationship with a boy at the opera - feeling like the boy represents his brother. Unknown to Will or Annie, the boy is Annie's son. Will searches down the man who killed his brother and completes the task he came to America to do. Annie sees the whole things, but still feels compassion/a connection with Will. She follows him to the train where he plans to leave DC. On that train ride, they sit next to each other. They figure out that Annies son is Wills friend from the opera and Annie finds out that Will is not really a priest. On that train ride they form an instant connection and the story end with them content to be in each others presence as they "go home".

My Review:
Overall, I thought this book was a enjoyable read. The author takes alot of time to build up the character which helps you feel where they are coming from when they make the decisions they make.
Annie follows Will (a supposed priest) around DC for days. Which initially sounds totally odd. We learned that is Annie's life she has had a series of unfulfilling interactions with priests, at times when she probably needed some good advice and help from them. It is almost as if , as Will is, Annie is on a mission to find some peace with these past experiences. It is interesting to me that she is not in one way bitter towards him as a priest, but yet intrigued and hopeful that he is the priest that can help her. In believing that he is someone she was meant to know, she threw a serious of events, breaks off her relationship with her revengeful husband(who blames Annie for the car accident that leaves him in a wheelchair) and at the end of the book seems to be at peace with her life.
Will is very much only focused on revenge for the death of his brother. He is on a mission does not lose focus of that throughout the book. The man who killed his little brother was a teenager at the time of the death - basically leading a revolution in Ireland and showing off for peers. Through Wills daily interaction with Annies son at the opera I felt the tenderness and love that Will had for his little brother. There are many flash backs in the book to the boy and by reading them, I felt a need for Wills revenge as well. The man who will finds is the man who killed his brother is a pompous, wealthy man. The author does not get too in depth about him, so I never felt a connection. But in description of his wife and home there is a cold feeling. Will does not kill the man -as it is written- but hurts him. With little description as to what happens to the man after will flees. I did not have sense of horror or pity for the man - which sounds callas I know. I got the sense that the man did not die, because his wife comes home right when Will leaves and helps him. By getting to know Will throughout the book - I got the sense that revenge to him was reminding the man of what he did, and not allowing him to live his life as it never happened. When Will and Annie finally meet up on the train Will is so happy when he finds that Annie is The boy at the operas mother. I think he feels that is his brothers way of showing himself to him and saying thank you. There is a peacfullness at the end of the book between the two charcters that made me feel like they were both so content and life was going to be better for both of them.
The book was sent in Washington DC, which was exceptionally neat for me to read, as I live here. Every street and location was real and legitimate. The author did a great job of portraying the life of someone in this area threw Annie. She really captured the hustle and bustle of life and the search of individual meaning in that hustle and bustle that I can relate to.
The book is written in Annie and Wills voice and varies from chapter to chapter, which makes it so interesting to read. They have such different lives - but come to cross roads so many times both literally and figuratively. It made me think about how much that is going on in real life!