by John Wain
First published 2023
Arthur Geary walks away from everything at forty-five. He quits his research position, leaves his wife and children, and checks into a hotel near Paddington Station. Day after day, he sits on the platforms watching passengers and trains arrive and depart. The pressures of his demanding career and crumbling marriage have crushed him. London's vast open sky feels unbearable, so he seeks comfort under the station's protective glass roof. This smaller sky becomes his sanctuary. But his strange new routine attracts unwanted attention. Friends and relatives grow worried about his behavior. Psychiatrists try to intervene. Television reporters track him down for stories. The peace Geary desperately craves slips further from his grasp as the outside world closes in. His quest for freedom transforms into something more urgent and fragile.
Genres: literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, fish-out-of-water, slice-of-life
Setting: London, Paddington Station
Period: 20th Century
143 pages · Paperback · Valancourt Books