"The Paris Express" | Reviewed by William Winkler

On October 22, 1895, the Paris Express from the Normandy community of Granville was running late for its destination at Paris’ Montparnasse station. Knowing that a portion of his Christmas bonus depended on punctual arrival, the engineer exceeded the speed limit as he entered the station. The air brakes failed and the engine and tender crashed through the barrier at the end of the tracks, traveled across the concourse, and plunged from the second story onto the street below. Remarkably only one person died, a newspaper vendor standing outside the station.

Emma Donoghue’s novel, “The Paris Express,” builds upon this well-documented bit of history and the train’s passenger manifest to create an entertaining piece of historical fiction. Her archival research has given her rich background for the stories of a handful of the passengers.

These include Mado Pelletier, a young anarchist whose homemade bomb is concealed in a lunchbox. This she zealously guards as she calculates the time to set it off in order to cause the greatest harm to her fellow passengers, some of whom are the despised nobility.

Also on the train was Albert Christophle, whose private rail car, built to accommodate his ailing wife, was attached to the train at an unscheduled stop, leading to the train’s departure from its schedule.

Others include a mixed-race student of physiology, an African-American painter, an unaccompanied 7-year-old boy who sleeps through his stop, and a massively pregnant young woman who goes into labor and is delivered of her baby as the journey ends.

Donoghue is the author of 15 novels, several of which are based on 19th century historical incidents. Irish by birth, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and French, offering her access to historical archives in both languages.

“The Paris Express,” heavily based on a real historical event, uses the framework of an 8-hour railway journey to introduce and develop an engaging ensemble of characters, both real and fictional. The interaction of these characters as the train speeds toward Paris will keep the reader absorbed from the first page to the last.

Buy the book.