About Runaway Train
They told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…
Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.
I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma. What’s a girl supposed to do? I didn’t want to end up like Kristen, so I grabbed my bucket list, turned up my mixtape of the greatest 90’s hits and fled L.A.. The goal was to end up at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, but I never could have guessed what would happen along the way.
At turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and laugh out loud funny, Runaway Train is a wild journey of a bygone era and a portrait of a one-of-a-kind teenage girl trying to find herself again the only way she knows how.
Advance Praise
“An engaging ’90s pastiche with an earnest heart beating at its center.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Raw. Riveting. Runaway Train stays true to its title as it explores the deep pain of a teenager desperately trying to find peace in a world full of pain. Lee Matthew Goldberg is a master at bestowing sympathy and strength on deeply flawed characters. Realistic and shocking, hopeful and satisfying, Runaway Train will keep readers turning the page.”
—USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Forster
“It’s an incredibly challenging task for an author to utilize a darkly comedic tone without coming across as disingenuous—but Goldberg executes it here with expert precision. Brimming over with the visceral atmosphere of the early 90s grunge era, RUNAWAY TRAIN is a must-read for those willing to buckle up for the ride.”
—Peter Malone Elliott (Director of Operations, Book Pipeline)
“In Runaway Train, Nico takes the leap every teenager dreams of taking, but it’s a leap few writers have handled as well as Goldberg. He pulls apart the teen puzzle of feeling both adrift and intentional in the same moment and reminds us that finding a way to be heard is the only way anybody finds themselves.”
—Rick Polito, author of Off Trail
“Goldberg’s atmospheric RUNAWAY TRAIN will take you back to the Nineties faster than a Pearl Jam track and a lace choker.”
—Alisha Sevigny, author of SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS and THE SECRET OF THE SANDS series.
“Captures so many our teen years…This story could be relatable to just anyone who is or ever was a teen. Well into being a grandmother now, and can still relate. Mr. Goldberg captures teen angst very well. Kudos on a great story. A timeless tale.”
–Catherine H., NetGalley reviewer