The Clock Carriage

The Clock Carriage is the sleeper car where Xavier and Otto sleep. Their inability to find the Clock Carriage at first and its deliberate disconnection from technology (there are no electric lights in the carriage, and Xavier and Otto must leave their phones to charge outside the carriage) makes it a confusing, disorienting, and even threatening place. For example, Otto closes the blinds at the end of Chapter 5, but wakes up to find them open again. The absurd and fantastic setting of the Clock Carriage destabilizes the narrative and puts an emphasis on unreality even within the intimate, ‘home’ space of Xavier and Otto’s shared sleeper car.

The Lucky Day

The Lucky Day is the train in which the majority of the novel’s action takes place. It is owned by Ava Kapoor and reflects her massive wealth (both inherited from her family and anticipated...