Strangers on a Train

Strangers on a Train

An express train traveling from Normandy to Paris was, in 1895, an embodiment of modernity. In Emma Donoghue’s new novel, The Paris Express, the train, touted as the fastest transportation in the world, represents a melding of mechanical and social engineering, an invention that is changing the face of the nation. Though the train is divided along class lines into separate compartments, all of the passengers “will be treated to the luxury of spe…