Train Wrecker is a front-row seat to the phantasmagorical, no-holds barred, contest in which we all participate: growing up.
In this debut fictional memoir, Andrew Livingston unveils a vivid portrait of coming of age in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the top-down, seatbelt-free, joy-ride of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Funny and honest, Livingston investigates his turbulent family life under the tyranny and ultimately, the tragedy, of his father's alcoholism. The novel's protagonist, 'Handy Andy' journeys from boy to young man, experiencing both the transformative power of literature and the frustration of being an individual against the system.
"Before I called it a night, I heard the Old Man's big brogues stomping on the floor upstairs and the door to his bedroom slam shut with a heavy thud. The dogs closed their eyes. The kettle on the stove, the stools in the kitchen, the mattresses on the beds, the chair in the study, even the glasses in the cupboard, everything in the house let out a collective sigh of relief. "