Book review: Train to Pakistan (1956)
In his debut novel, Train to Pakistan, Khushwant Singh writes about one fictional border community’s response to the horrors of Partition. The arrival of a trainload of dead Sikhs from Pakistan throws the peaceful residents of Mano Majra into a tailspin. Like many communities along the border, Mano Majra is an eclectic mix of Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims. Murder, dacoity, and politics change the dynamics among the residents. Will they respond to the ghost train from Pakistan by returning a ghost train of their own?