In the summer of 1936, an old sheepherder emerged from the hill country of Montana seeking treatment for an ailment. Shortly thereafter he died in the little town of Fort Benton. His family requested that the old man's body be shipped East for burial. As baggage men loaded his casket onto a Great Northern passenger train, no one paid much attention to the sheep dog whining nearby. Thus began a remarkable vigil that captured the attention of people throughout the world. Over the next six years, four times a day, Shep, as the dog came to be known, faithfully met every train and checked every passenger, certain that his master would return.
Now it's 1942, and America is at war. Fears of invasion by Japanese and German armies and wartime shortages have reached even Fort Benton, where 13-year-old Ben Colby is growing up. Ben is in love for the first time, with Ellie Beck, a high-school beauty who is three years older than Ben and apparently out of reach. But that's not the only heartache in Ben's life. He worries also about his parents' shaky marriage and his little brother's fragile health. Ben needs a friend, and he turns to Shep, a dog that no one has ever been able to adopt—a dog that remains fiercely loyal to its previous master, who will surely be coming on the next train.
I have to be honest. I really had mixed feelings about this book. I thought it was very well written, the dialogue and story flows nicely and the loyalty of the dog to his former master is admirable. I can imagine sitting in a room with the author and hearing the story wash over me as I read this book. 'Cold Train Coming' has the ability to provoke every emotion and to really make you think as you read it.
That being said, there were still things that bothered me. I felt that there were a couple of places in this book that did not portray the story realistically. I hesitate to mention specific passages because I don't want other readers to be looking for these areas but I would like them to judge the book on their own. I also felt that the author was trying to teach us several morals. I felt this through the entire book - but ended up feeling pretty dumb because I could not figure out what the primary message was that I was supposed to be learning.
I loved the fact that this book was based on a true story and I feel a thrill run through me when I think of the love and loyalty this dog had for his master. What an example. This book is not just a LDS fiction book. It will make you think and feel differently while you read it.
