Episode 31: In Transit
Summary: Hop on board, buckle up, and stow your luggage, folks - we’re in transit today! Whether by plane, train or automobile, travel can open up a lot of possibilities for characters across genres. Holly and Devin talk through the “closed door” atmosphere transit can bring to a story, and how physical travel can augment the metaphorical evolution of character arcs with a more unique twist.
Topics Discussed:
The Dagger (9:10): Holly discussed Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, a novel that follows the perilous train ride of five highly motivated assassins, the principal of which is Nanao, aka Ladybug. Boarding a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka, Ladybug is given one simple task - grab a suitcase and get off at the next step. Things quickly devolve as he is met with competition, challenge, and various murder attempts. Holly’s key takeaways were:
This novel takes the time to take us inside characters to understand the shame, motivations, and quirks of a grisly set of over-the-top assassins. The depth Isaka achieves adds to the satirical tone while also increasing reader investment in the outcome of the wild train ride.
While rife with murder, Bullet Train is also full of humor. Nanao keeps trying and failing to get off at the next stop, people get killed and characters have to prop them up to seem like they’re still alive, and accidents lead to additional problems throughout the novel.
The 2022 Brad Pitt film version changed a lot of the characters’ racial and gender identities, but overall it captured the spirit, plot, and humor of the original story well.
The Heart (24:50): Devin discussed The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, a novel of mishaps and undesired outcomes that leads to a destiny no one ever imagined. Olive Torres has always seen herself as unlucky, and having to survive her sister’s wedding next to her arch nemesis (and the brother of the groom) Ethan is just one more bit of evidence that she’s right. When all the guests (and the happy couple) get food poisoning except for Olive and Ethan, they agree to go on the honeymoon so as not to waste the trip. Devin’s key takeaways were:
Olive and Ethan’s mutual animosity was born from a misunderstanding and simple miscommunication. By traveling to Hawaii together and escaping their typical routines, they’re both afforded space and a different perspective to begin to reconcile their differences.
A combination of The Hating Game and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, this novel is full of hijinks, forced proximity, and miscommunication that ultimately allows both protagonists to reframe and transform their perception of reality. All it took was bad buffet food and a faux honeymoon to Hawaii.
Trigger Warning: there are consistent references to body, physical beauty, and allusions to body dysmorphia that any reader, and especially those with a history or sensitivity to eating disorders, should be aware of.
Hot On the Shelf (42:24):
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (45:27):
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