"Tracks" by Sarah Bartrum

 Adam, a young Moslem, dreamed of becoming a footballer but lost the use of his legs in the train crash in which Austin lost his partner. Halima, an elderly Moslem cleaner who looks after her shrewish mum, was injured in the same crash. Ralph, a paramedic, who attended the crash, was traumatised when he couldn't save the life of a young man. The lives of these four Londoners cross and interconnect as the psychological aftermath of the disaster wreaks havoc in their lives.

This is a beautifully written novel. The pacing is perfect and the characterisation is vivid and convincing. Very quickly I was rooting for Adam, angry about the destruction of his dreams and the limitations of his wheelchair-bound existence, seeking solace in potentially terrorist-infiltrated Islamic groups; for Halima, trapped in hopelessness and a humdrum life; for grieving Austin, feeling guilty about trying to move on; and for Ralph, unable to escape the ghost of the tragedy. I was with them all the way, saddened and frightened, as the characters moved down into the paths of their story-arcs. I was desperate that there should be some sort of happy resolution for people who had become real to me. I was totally involved.

Which is all you can really ask of a book, isn't it?

Selected quotes

• "Adam wondered if anyone else had noticed his life crumbling into dust." (Ch 2)
• "She was so tired of the same old words, the blame, the monotony of her mother's tirade." (Ch 16)
• "She was a permanent grey fixture in the house, like the mould around the bath, annoying and dark but accepted nonetheless." (Ch 20)
• "Mellowed probably wasn't a word that Halima would use, hardened perhaps, solidified like congealed fat sitting on top of a lamb curry." (Ch 20)
• "Ralph went over to the leg press, set the weight and sat down. He pushed hard with his legs, thrusting the annoying thoughts away. But they came none the less, flapping around like so many bats." (Ch 21)
• "Like a vicious cat tied to the table spitting at him, straining at its leash which might break at any moment." (Ch 35)
• "A braver man than him, a man certain of his place in the world, a moral man, would never have run around London like a headless chicken thinking he had a bomb under his wheelchair." (Ch 58)
• "Adam's heart was hammering and he spoke loudly so he could hear himself above the thumping." (Ch 61)

A great read.

Sarah Bartrum has also written Keep Them Safe

This review was written by the author of Motherdarling  and The Kids of God

October 2021