Listen for the Train

by Rosa Sophia

2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention
Esther's parents never approved of her, and her fear of people discovering she's a lesbian has led to a solitary life. Living alone in an RV park in South Florida, sequestered from the world, Esther thinks she'll never have to face the truth. Until the only woman she's ever loved shows up on her doorstep in the middle of rainstorm.

To make matters worse, Esther's cat, Petunia, mysteriously goes missing. While crossing the railroad tracks to search for her feline companion, Esther steps through a tear in the dimensional fabric. Her carefully constructed world is left behind, and what she discovers is far more than she bargained for...

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2017

About the author

Rosa Sophia is an automotive mechanic, but everyone thinks she is a librarian. She lives in South Florida in a cottage by the sea, and hopes to earn an MFA in Creative Writing one day. As a trigeminal neuralgia patient, she also writes about her condition in the hope that it will spread awareness of this rare disorder. Her novels "Meet Me in the Garden" and "Orion Cross My Sky" both feature main characters that suffer with trigeminal neuralgia. Rosa hopes readers will gain a greater understanding of this disability through her stories.

Reviews

[Agirlcandream · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful, amateur writing. Purple prose: “In the darkness, she quested for the light switch..” stiff dialogue, one dimensional characters, a plot based loosely on a missing cat, a subplot involving awkward scenes detailing how Esther denied her attraction to Lily and publicly spurned her in the past, in the present, pretty much as soon as she gets out of bed, a fade-to-black bed. No sex please, we’re lesbians? For all the reader knows they kiss and play scrabble all night in that bed.
This is a train wreck of a story I can’t recommend to anyone.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.

[Nemo ☠️ (pagesandprozac) · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was an unusual little book with magical realism and f/f romance. i thought it had a lot of potential, but both the fantasy and romance aspects weren't quite developed enough. it seemed a little unrealistic that esther and lily would still love each other after a decade apart (or maybe i'm just an unromantic bitch), and lily seemed to be way too judgemental of what esther did in the past and unwilling to really forgive her, even though what she did was perfectly understandable i mean really, did lily expect esther to admit to her ultra-conservative parents that she was a lesbian and then get kicked out the house? under the circumstances.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther has retreated away from the world. She lives in a RV parks and essentially keeps to herself. Her cat Petunia is the only one that she has let into her life. One rainy night a former lover, Lily shows up on her door. Although this seems random, Lily knew about Esther’s whereabouts and she knows how Esther has a tendency to shut herself down. Lily is there to help Esther come back to the world.

But Esther has lost Petunia and is frantic to find her. She stumbles upon a strange man and finds Petunia. Esther is confused when she is told that she cannot take Petunia home with her. She then goes on a journey to both find herself and Petunia.

This is an interesting story following Esther and her journey to herself. She has locked away her true self because of those around her that didn’t approve of her lifestyle. She has let them control her life even after their death. It is heartbreaking to see someone that has almost been destroyed by those that were supposed to love her. But she is going to learn more about herself and how to live life instead of hiding away on this journey.

This is not one of my normal reads and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It’s so sad to see what Esther has done with herself yet it was a good story of growing and not letting others control you. This is definitely one story to check out.

I received Listen for the Train from Sage’s Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of the story.

[Jana]

dnf @ 53 pages

It's. Just. Not good y'all

[Ionia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I thought some of the writing in this book was done well, there were other times when the word choices just threw me off course and I didn't understand the logic behind the selections. The story itself was interesting enough, but the dialogue was awkward at best in some places and I struggled to keep reading in others.

There were likable aspects of the characters and the situations they found themselves in, but for me, I didn't feel particularly connected to any of them for much of the time. I like books that become a journey of self-discovery as much as the next person, but I also felt there were times when the author held back too much from the reader. Was she afraid to express herself fully? I don't know, but some areas of the book seemed stilted and repressed.

Still, this is not a bad book and I would recommend it to those who like to read things that are a little different and out of the mainstream.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Sage Adderley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story. Esther was a hard character to get emotional about because she was battling her own self-worth and love, but it was wonderful to follow her along as she tried desperately to find herself. I liked the dance between reality, Papa, and her dreams. I wondered how it was going to blend together, but it did, it all fell into place for me.

Listen For the Train is a moving story about acceptance, magic, being comfortable in your own skin, and allowing yourself to love. I think the author did a great job in creating something unique for readers.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Listen for the Train Rosa Sophia
1) With an authorial voice that is simultaneously sparse and moving, the author brings a fresh and passionate perspective on the subjects of internalized homophobia and spiritual awakening. She owns the page upon which she writes. This story grabs you and doesn’t let go, powered by a believably vulnerable protagonist and the old ideas that keep her heart hidden even when others expose its contents. Keep an eye on this writer as she is bound for greater exposure and appreciation.