Train, by Pete Dexter, is a fast-paced and gripping story that I had a hard time putting down. Train is the nickname of Lionel Walk, one of the black caddies at a posh golf course. The trouble is, Train can beat any of the rich white men he caddies for, and one day, at the instigation of a club member, he does, sparking loads of trouble for him.
Miller Packard is a sergeant with the San Diego police department. One day at the golf club, he spots Train's talent and becomes his manager, in a way. But Packard is a gambling man who can't resist a chance to make a few bucks betting on this young black caddie in high stakes games against some very wealthy "players."
Dexter alternates the focus of each chapter between Train's life and Packard's. And this is where I have certain issues with Dexter. The character development of Train and the other blacks in the story was much better than the character development of the white people, including Packard and his new wife. Packard is only more interesting when he is interacting with Train.
Packard is one-dimensional. Other than having sex with his new wife, his life provides little emotional interaction and we are given little insight into his personality -- other than the superficial horny gambler that we see.
Towards the end of the novel, Dexter resorts to an all-too-convenient plot device to reunite Packard with Train. But overall, Dexter really succeeds at presenting an engaging tale of one man bent on self-destruction and one man trying to pull himself up out of the hole he'd been born down in.
