Strangers in My Sleeper

Wellington journalist Peter Riordan married two loves - India and trains - when he travelled the 'iron threads' of the vast subcontinent, taking in deserts, great rivers, dusty, dirty cities teeming with humanity, mountain ranges, rainforests, rice and tea plantations and one or two officious railway ticket officers. Each chapter describes a leg of his journey, from Madras, across India and through Pakistan and Bangladesh and back into India, and mainly takes the form of a series of conversations - on love, life, religion, politics and more - with his fellow passengers. His elegant narrative style and affection for the subcontinent and her peoples convey his enthusiasm in an absorbing account of an epic journey that is bound to appeal to armchair travellers, Indiaphiles and railway enthusiasts alike.