Night Train

Australian writer Clarke's (The Heroic Life of Al Capsella) uneven novel opens with Luke Lemans's youngest sister frantic to see him; her family dodges her questions regarding his whereabouts, prompting her to surreptitiously follow them--to a funeral parlor. The rest of the novel is told in flashback through the perspectives of various characters, as Luke finds himself in danger of flunking his senior year in high school--for the second time. Luke signals for help and is repeatedly rebuffed. An underdeveloped theme that emerges late in the novel involves the appearance of the Night Train--a train that runs long after train service has stopped and that seemingly only Luke can hear. Though the constantly shifting points of view detract from the tension of Luke's growing desperation, at the root of this tale is the compelling idea of one person's power to reach out--to make a difference in, or even potentially save, someone's life. Clarke shows how quickly those opportunities are lost (e.g. his English teacher thinking,""She should have told him not to worry, that it wasn't the end of the world if he failed. She should have. As Rosa turned into her gate she felt a chilling sense of something missed, slipped sadly from her hand. Let go""). Luke, painted as naturally bright, sensitive, compassionate and lost, is surrounded by a largely sympathetic group of characters--each hurt, concerned and frustrated by his behavior and their inability to help him. Ages 12-up. (June)