Mark Meadows

The Man Who Watched the Trains Go by Mark Meadows

A brilliant new translation of one of Simenon's best loved masterpieces.

'A certain furtive, almost shameful emotion...disturbed him whenever he saw a train go by, a night train especially, its blinds drawn down on the mystery of its passengers.'

Kees Popinga is a respectable Dutch citizen and family man. Then he discovers that his boss has bankrupted the shipping firm he works for - and something snaps.

Kees used to watch the trains go by to exciting destinations. Now, on some dark impulse, he boards one at random and begins a new life of recklessness and violence. This chilling portrayal of a man who breaks from society and goes on the run asks who we are and what we are capable of.