Train to Oblivion: A Novel

A dramatic story of love and loss across three generations as the railroad came to Patagonia, forever changing the landscape and its peoples. Llankaray’s grandmother left a rich inheritance: her medicine, an undefeatable spirit, and the stories of her Mapuche ancestors. These tales are forever etched in Llankaray’s memory—and the soil of their beloved Patagonia. She begins with Fresia, a gifted Mapuche medicine woman who communicates with plants. She raises her granddaughter, Pirenrayen, to be a strong healer and leader for her people. And then there’s Chekeken, a Tehuelche woman who was once kidnapped and sold but escaped. Her son will bear a great lineage. But most unforgettable of all is Pirenrayen, Llankaray’s grandmother. Her story collides with the arrival of the railroad in Patagonia—and with a man named Liam O’Sullivan. Born a world away in Dublin, with dreams of becoming a railroad engineer, Liam couldn’t be more different from Pirenrayen. But they both witness the oppression of their people under British power. And they find in each other a love for the ages…