Orphan Train

Author: Christina Baker Kline
Series: None
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Release Date: April 2, 2013

Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be.

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life–answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

Interesting.

Contemporary has never been my cup of tea but if there was a single word that could sum up my experience reading Orphan Train, it would be... interesting.

The style of writing is superb. Usually, I don't like it when tenses and, heaven forbid, pronouns, are changed between perspectives, but it fits right at home here, making an easy distinction between past and present for the reader. The descriptions just suck you right in, and flow effortlessly from page to page. It distracted from the major problem Orphan Train had, which was the story.

I know it's hard to be original, but the characterization and plotting was just too predictable. There was little the author could add to the misunderstood orphan character. The story relied heavily on tropes, and the formula was all too easy to spot. By the end of the first half, I had to put it down or risk tearing open my lips from yawning so much.

The rage Molly feels is so overwhelming she sees spots before her eyes. For more than four hundred years Indians were deceived, corralled, forced onto small pieces of land and discriminated against, called dirty Indians, injuns, red-skins, savages. They couldn't get jobs or buy homes. Would it compromise her probationary status to strangle this imbecile? 

I'll give points for diversity, especially for showing and taking a stand against discrimination, but I'm not sure about feminism. While both Molly and Vivian are headstrong, they have few positive relationships with the women around them, especially in the first half of the novel. The latter are generally domineering, which is shown in a negative light. The men are portrayed as much nicer, their only faults being scatterbrained and easy to push over.

Three of the kids are in the room with me, huddled like sheep.

Molly and especially Vivian compare people to herds of animals often, such as cows, dogs, and even mice. Honestly, I felt really uncomfortable about the whole thing.

Vivian puts her foot on the first step and stumbles slightly...

"I'm all right!" Vivian says, grasping the rail.

Molly slips an arm around her waist. "Of course you are." she whispers. Her voice is steady, though her heart is so full it aches. "And I'm right here behind you."

Overall, the Orphan Train felt too preachy for me to fully enjoy. There was always one mindless tragedy after another. It ends sort of happily, despite having the characters lose so much throughout the whole thing that they always sound hollow in their narrative. While touching, the conclusion was anti-climactic, and the events leading up to it seemed glossed over, as if the author didn't know how to finish it off. I know it's Vivian's story, but Molly was left high and dry.

Does she break out of her shell? Does Terry, the mother of her boyfriend, ever approve of her? Does she just age out of the foster system, without a family? Does Vivian eventually adopt her?

At least give us some hints to tie up those loose ends!