Angel Train brings together four novellas on different themes and with very different central characters: a literary friendship between an English and New Zealand poet; a well-meaning Tasmanian highwayman and the DNA of righting wrongs; a fleeing French countess and, centuries later, the floundering marriage of an English actor and a lover of hydrangeas; and, in the final story, the mysterious goings-on observed by regular visitors to a town in the North Island’s Tongariro National Park. Together, they convey the poignancy and bravery, folly and purpose of the human condition from perspectives ranging across countries, eras, ages, genders and career paths. Each on its own offers a rich, fully created world.
The novella is a hybrid form that includes story, reminiscence, flights of fancy and wild imaginings; it has a power and shape of its own. In Elizabeth Smither’s hands it weaves a particular enchantment, combining the imaginative depth of a novel, the sharp observation of the short story and the wit and elegance of the poet’s craft. Full of curiosity and quiet insight, these are accessible, intriguing, beautifully wrought stories for readers of any genre.
\”Elizabeth Smither’s meticulous prose illuminates her characters, while it turns them into symbols. She remains one of our most elegant stylists, a gently subversive anatomist of quiet lives. Read this rich quartet, and you’ll never again refer to anybody or any life as ‘just ordinary’.\” – David Hill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 216
Imprint: Quentin Wilson Publishing
Publication date: 12/11/2025
Angel Train
By Elizabeth Smither
Review by Renata
The four novellas collected here allow one of NZ's pre-eminent writers to flex the full range of skills she’s honed over decades: the focus required by short stories; the more expansive time frames and character development enabled by a novel; the spotlit significance and clarity of poetry.
Though the stories aren't linked by plot, setting or character, they nevertheless share strong recurrent themes. All feature strong female characters who take decisive, even subversive actions to shape their own lives. All interrogate the nature of time and the capacity for actions taken in one life to echo through years, and even centuries.
Smithers' curiosity and her insight into the human heart and mind is palpable throughout. For fans of Fiona Kidman, Fiona Farrell and Elizabeth Strout.
