“The Train from Santa Fe” by Ginger Pinholster

The Train from Santa Fe (Regal House 2026) by Ginger Pinholster is an intricately layered story about the generational and cultural time in our country’s history that nearly wiped out the indigenous society that had lived and thrived in cohabitation with a part of the planet now called the U.S.

The story explores the impact of the rail system moving west and the inevitable impact of white culture indoctrinating indigenous people and stealing their personal artifacts. Told from a modern-day timeline, the story deftly looks back in time to reveal betrayals and thefts that hold a lifetime of pain. Ultimately, though this is a story of human resilience and destiny.

Pinholster uses overlapping story lines of characters that intersect and build a forward-leaning plot, which quickly becomes a page-turner that’s hard to put down. A young new father, a soldier trying to rebuild a life after injury and divorce, a woman who wants to know the truth of her life before she dies, and a troubled young woman seeking authenticity through her own art—these multiple perspectives are deftly balanced. Each has space to breathe and function, resulting in a strong, character-driven novel.

Through lyrical writing, Pinholster creates a landscape that is spellbinding. The mountain roads, the hiking paths—all become their own identity, and their engagement in each moment of the novel really puts our feet on the ground in this world.

Even in the midst of our country’s current struggles, these characters stayed with me long after the last page in a way that allows hope for our common humanity.

Ginger Pinholster

Ginger Pinholster is the author of two previous novels, Snakes of St. Augustine and City in a Forest.  She earned an M.F.A. degree from Queens University of Charlotte and a B.A. in English from Eckerd College. Her short story, “Jumping Off,” received a First Place in Fiction prize from Prime Number Magazine and a Pushcart Prize nomination. ?Other work has been published by Atticus Review, The Northern Virginia Review, Eckerd Review, Blackheart Magazine, Crab Fat Magazine, Gravel Magazine, and Dying Dahlia Review. She worked as a science writer for various nonprofits most of her life. Pinholster lives in Florida, where she rescues sea turtles and volunteers with the Marine Science Center of Ponce Inlet.