Knight of the Rails

It’s the dust-bowl 1930s, and 13-year-old Billy feels he’s a financial burden on his parents when they lose their farm in Saskatchewan. He decides to run away and try his luck riding the rails with the growing ranks of unemployed hobos criss-crossing Canada. He leaves a note for his parents saying, “Don’t worry. I’m heading west. I’ll be back when I got a hundred dollars and a car.”

Trouble is, there are few jobs to be had, and leaping onto and off moving railcars is dangerous stuff even without security guards on constant watch and unfriendly fellow hobos aboard. Those caught get sent to desperate work camps where they’re barely fed and all but trapped and forgotten.

Told in third-person, meticulously researched and skillfully written, this historical novel puts the reader right beside Billy. You can hear the train wheels clacking, smell the engine belching, feel the sparks and danger as Billy navigates his way to Vancouver -- one of the youngest amongst the hungry hordes.

He meets both good and bad people and hones his instincts to tell the difference. He reluctantly learns to beg and steal, suffers injury, finds brief companionship with men, boys and even a girl, and fights off loneliness and hopelessness. Meanwhile, the reader is treated to every aspect of a hobo’s life, from child gangs to the “bull” security guards, to activists who attempt to turn the disillusioned men into a political force. The latter is a very real part of that period of history, and it’s no surprise when, near the end of the story, Billy, impoverished, hungry and carrying a whole new perspective from all that he has seen and experienced, gets swept up in it. However, the author’s heavy focus on this becomes so strong, almost shrill, that, at times, it feels less like Billy’s story than a not-so-hidden author agenda. On the other hand, it certainly drives that part of history home.

One incident that raised my eyebrows was when a “perv” targets Billy, chases and grabs him from behind. Although Billy narrowly escapes, one has to ask if the target audience understands the implications – and if parents of 11-year-olds are comfortable with their kids reading that scene and asking about it.

Otherwise, Knight of the Rails is not only age appropriate, it will interest older kids as well. The plot is entirely believable, the pace is lively, any swearing is mild and the characters are wonderfully authentic and captivating. The writing is consistently good, and there’s plenty of action.

The title uses Billy’s last name, Knight. In no other sense does the “knight” allusion seem to work as he struggles just as much as anyone else he encounters along the journey.

Of course, Billy grows up a lot during his travels, and his coming of age is both credible and rewarding to read. The ending is satisfying and, overall, Knight of the Rails is a great accomplishment as a historical novel.