Did someone say “literary locomotives?” These are my favorite books set on trains, including One Last Stop, My Friends, and The Girl On The Train.
In books, trains are a way for people to escape or daydream. They carry people to work, new lives, and exotic destinations. Trains also offer up the unknown. Strangers and friends converge. Trains are hope. Sometimes, though, they are an ominous setting filled with death and heartbreak. They might be a last-minute attempt to escape or resolve a situation.
Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express and Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train (that Hitchcock film adaptation!) helped fuel the fascination. Below, find just a few great books with trains, whether they are a small backdrop to the plot or the entire setting. 💜 Christine
Fiction Books Set On Trains
Travel by train via these novels. Then, keep reading for even more recommendations that our community loves, gathered from our Facebook Group, Uncorked Readers, from past reading challenge travel themes.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Plot
Twenty-three-year-old August has lived all over the United States. Trying to find herself and love, her entire life is about to change as she meets a beautiful, mysterious woman on the train. Something is off, though, because Jane looks a little old school and is always on the same train as August.
As August soon uncovers, Jane is from the 1970s and displaced in time. Can August help release Jane from the train’s energy? And if she does, is she losing the love of her life forever?
Who Will Enjoy One Last Stop
For books set on trains, One Last Stop is a feel-good, older coming-of-age story. You might enjoy this novel if you:
- Love friendship books with a great sense of community and quirky, amazing roommates (can they please be my friends?!)
- Crave books with time travel, especially romances
- Want to travel to New York via your armchair
- Devoured Casey McQuiston’s Red, White, & Royal Blue and are looking for more of the best LGBTQ+ books perfect for new adults
My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Translated by Neil Smith)
Plot Of My Friends
Louise and Fish are friends in foster care, but as we quickly learn, Fish – who just aged out of the system – is dead. Louise is on the run as her 18th birthday nears, and goes to see a painting from a postcard that has lifted her spirits over the years. At the gallery, a chain of fateful events changes her entire life, including meeting Ted and learning more about this postcard.
Who Will Enjoy This Book Recommendation
For Louise and Ted, a large part of My Friends takes place on a train. This story is for anyone who:
- Seeks out intense plots filled with twists and intuitive life lessons
- Enjoys Backman, as you can hear his signature storytelling throughout; I recommend his Anxious People for book clubs
- Loves books about unique friendships between people at different stages in their lives
- Wants to read about middle-aged characters (well, the start of “middle age” at 39/40 years old – but also how our experiences age us), a 4-star Goodreads pick, and an over 400-page novel; these tend to be Uncorked Reading Challenge themes
Who May Need To Put A Pin In It
✨ Check all of the trigger warnings before reading My Friends. ✨ This one may not be for you.
If you are a mood reader, I struggled at first with the heavier topics, almost quitting 25% in (a “me” problem). However, the story has a hopeful ending full of meaning, if that helps you decide. This is not trauma p* like we’ve seen so much of in recent publishing. My one criticism: The pacing could be better about 60% in.
Outbound Train by Renea Winchester
Plot
Set in Bryson City, North Carolina, Renea Winchester’s Outbound Train transports readers to the 1960s, where a violent night on the train tracks forever shapes Barbara Parker’s life. In the present, caught up in the same vicious cycle of poverty, awful men, and corrupt leaders, Barbara’s daughter, Carole Anne, deserves and wants so much more.
Who Will Enjoy Outbound Train
I rarely see Outbound Train on train-set book lists. However, this is a great story if you:
- Enjoy books set in North Carolina
- Want to support indie authors and indie publishing
- Find themes of hope, second chances, and fighting socioeconomic challenges and stereotypes inspiring
- Want to read books about Appalachia
- Like TV shows similar to The Connors
Confessions On The 7:45 by Lisa Unger
Plot For Confessions On The 7:45
Imagine if meeting a stranger on a train could forever change your life. You think that sharing a nip is an innocent gesture until someone ends up missing…or worse. Clearly, Selena never read Highsmith.
Selena catches her husband with the nanny. With the nanny now missing, who is responsible? Something more sinister is at play, and in the end, you’ll doubt your own ethics.
Who Will Enjoy This One
I would recommend Unger’s Confessions On The 7:45 for anyone who:
- Does not mind a surface-level train thriller and fast-paced mystery; this one will have you questioning who is running this money-making scheme and why
- Is looking for books similar to Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane and books inspired by Highsmith’s Strangers On A Train
- Can get through a snoozy start with a fantastic conclusion
- Likes books set in NYC
The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins
Plot
Rachel watches ‘Jess’ and ‘Jason’ from her daily commuter train. In her imagination, she gives them the perfect lives she craves. When she witnesses something that disturbs her happy narrative, Rachel decides to get involved. A recovering alcoholic, Rachel suddenly wakes up covered in blood and is now part of a police investigation. Her ‘Jess’ is missing.
Who Will Enjoy This Recommendation
You might want to pick up The Girl on the Train if you like:
- Books adapted into movies
- Psychological train thrillers; I’d rate this just above Unger
- If you enjoy books like Gone Girl
Field Notes On Love by Jennifer E. Smith
Plot
Meet Mae and Hugo. Mae is an aspiring NY filmmaker who didn’t get into the college she wanted. As her now ex-boyfriend notes, she doesn’t show enough of herself in her films. Then, there is Hugo, from England. Recently dumped, Hugo needs another ‘M. Campbell’ to take his ex-girlfriend’s train ticket. Can the two teens remain casual friends on this cross-country train trip?
Who Will Enjoy Field Notes On Love
The audiobook version of Field Notes on Love had me in stitches, especially some of the cute conversations with their families. This book is perfect if you:
- Enjoy themes of self-discovery typically found in road trip novels
- Want to read more young adult books
- Appreciate sweet LGBTQ+ stories
More Books Set On, With, & About Trains That Our Community Recommends
These are a few more books set on trains that our Uncorked Readers read and enjoyed, including both fiction and nonfiction titles.
🚂 Let me know your favorites in the comments. I am always looking for more books to read and add to my lists.
Hey!
Loving your lists, such great recommendations!
The Last Train by Michael Pronko is on my tbr list, looking forward to reading it. I recently read The Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, such a good book, loved the entire journey (better than the film, in my opinion!)
Hope you’re well 🙂
Thank you! And, thank you for the recommendations!