: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
(7/23/2021)
The Sunset Route is a memoir along the lines of Educated, The Glass Castle, and Hillbilly Elegy. The author, Carrot Quinn, as a child is neglected in every possible way, The father has abandoned the family and the mother is a schizophrenic who spends her time in the bedroom talking to the Virgin Mary while her children starved. At times, the neglect and poverty of Carrot and her brother are disturbing. Reading how she and her brother, dirty and hungry, would find their meals in dumpers was heartbreaking. As her story progresses, life doesn't get easier. In her twenties, she travels across the country living as a hobo, jumping freight trains, and living hand to mouth. Being a natural writer, she records in a journal every day. From this she is able to create her story. Her writing is beautiful, descriptions are vivid, and her voice is very real. Recovering from the scars of her childhood is a difficult, almost impossible thing to do as she deals with much loneliness.