"All aboard for an enigmatic, dreamy and philosophical train journey."
In Pale Pieces we join the unnamed narrator at the start of a strange and elusive journey. First on what appears to be an old school carriage coach, the driver holding the reins as they drive past fields and contemplate the scenery and sheep, then on to a meandering train with an unknown destination. The final excursion is one of endurance and as you read you wonder whether they’ll reach their final destination.
The ambiguous storytelling leaves a lot of scope for interpretation by the reader. From my understanding the journeys undertaken are a metaphor for life, and the way that the writing felt very liminal and like a dream made me wonder whether we were stepping into some sort of in-between world between life and death.
The seemingly ever present mist or dark conveying some unseen shores and undiscovered country. Later a long walk through a canyon once again separates us from a larger world and adds to that transitional, dream-like feel. However all this could also be in relation to life’s journey, the mist preventing you from looking too far forward or back, highlighting that you remain in the present.
Each character represents the different people you meet along the way, sharing the road for a while sometimes before you carry on on your own path.
Gathering on a train with a cast of unknown characters creates the opportunity for reflective conversations and philosophical thought as the unnamed main character engages then reflects as each topic arises. These interactions put me in mind of the work of Harold Pinter, in the sense that, while I don’t think they’re necessarily reflective of real conversations, they stand in to examine the human condition and provide a wider social commentary and moment for reflection.
Some moments of absurdity, the exasperated mathematician answering whether a rope can be pulled on when taught, made me smirk and the final stages, the banker striding off into the mist like a mountain goat felt quite poignant. I think that Pale Pieces is a reader best suited to literary and philosophical readers. Those who want a narrative that they can interpret, discuss and ponder over will have plenty to sink their teeth into here.
| Primary Genre | Literary Fiction |
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Available on Amazon Available on Bookshop Having hesitantly accepted an invitation to take a train to unknown ends, things steadily blur into a hazy period of reflection, uncertainty, mild amusement and questionable events, accompanied by standard ongoing psychological turmoil. And the attempted salvation at both an individual and collective level, through wavering philosophies and strained companionship, appears that which might allow the travellers to persevere and perhaps see an end to the mysterious journey they'd found themselves upon.
Pale Pieces features in the following genres: Indie Author Books, Indie Books We Love, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Metaphysical / philosophical fiction
Paperback. Not Available.
Pale Pieces was written by G.M. Stevens and published by G.M. Stevens
