ŷ������

Shot in the dark, but I remember reading something about two male hobos who had some sort of sexual contact with each other. They were riding the rails, homeless, going from city to city on various trains. I can't recall if it was unwanted sexual contact on one of their parts, or if it was a consensual experience. I'm leaning towards the former, but not totally sure.

This was an adult novel, and the hobos may not have been the main characters. It was set sometime in the past, I guess early to mid 20th century. I think it was published anywhere from the '60s to the '90s, possibly early '00s, but not very recently. Traditional publisher, not self pubbed.

Thanks mucho for any help!

Still looking....

Still looking....

Hi there. Could you maybe give more information? Like around what year the book was published, when you read it, what was the book about? Male or female author. Any additional information you can provide would be of a great help. Especially on what the book was about because I can't figure it out from the description you provide. Does the book follow the lives of these two homeless men? Or just the one? Can you remember what happens to them? Why were they homeless? Etcetera.

From my first post....

"This was an adult novel, and the hobos may not have been the main characters. It was set sometime in the past, I guess early to mid 20th century. I think it was published anywhere from the '60s to the '90s, possibly early '00s, but not very recently. Traditional publisher, not self pubbed."

It wouldn't have been published any later than '04, but most likely earlier than that. No clue if author was male or female. The two hobos were probably secondary characters, and their relationship was not the main part of the book.

Oh my gosh. Well I feel like a huge idiot now. I mean I read your post... All I can say is, brain-fart. Terribly sorry. But thanks for giving more info. I myself have no idea what this can be, but hopefully someone else does. Can you really not remember what the book was about? Like, did it feature the family members of these two men, and focused on their lives with homeless fathers or brothers or maybe about a social worker or was it about travelling and the train?

No worries. I honestly can't remember what the rest of the book was about, except I have a strong feeling that these were just minor characters. One of the hobos may have been friends with the main character in the book, but I seem to remember a POV scene, perhaps as he's reminiscing about the past? It could have been a book with multiple narrators.

Waiting for Nothing and Other Writings by Tom Kromer?

From Amazon -

A vagrant during the worst years of the Great Depression, Kromer here depicts with intense realism the lives of the era's utterly disenfranchised. In his episodic, autobiographical novel about "life on the vag," the protagonist rides the boxcars from one end of the country to the other in search of "three hots and a flop." Usually he finds what he needs in sordid charity missions, abandoned buildings, dumps, and at one point he barters with a homosexual for food and shelter in exchange for sexual favors.

Thanks so much for the suggestion, Kym. I checked, and the Kromer book is definitely not the one in question. The search goes on.

That’s a shame. I’ll keep an eye out:)

Oh, my gosh, I have a vague memory of a book with a scene of two men on the rails at night, (or maybe sunset because I keep thinking of a red sky) and a woman's house and a fence...maybe in the northeast U.S? One of the men was either a secondary character, or the scene was part of the main character's backstory. It might not be the same book (I don't remember anything sexual going on between them), but now I have this stuck in my head!
For some reason, both Candles Burning and Blaze come to mind, but I don't think either have such a scene. My memory is probably just overlapping books I read around the same time.
I'll look through my books tonight...

Deanne, did you ever find the book you were thinking of?

I don't remember a woman's house, but it's possible. My memories are just so vague.

Could it maybe be a true crime book? About Carl Panzram ( a "hobo" serial killer and rapist)? Or a fictionalised version about his life?

Rainbowheart wrote: "Deanne, did you ever find the book you were thinking of?

I don't remember a woman's house, but it's possible. My memories are just so vague."

No...I looked through the two I mentioned, and didn't find anything close. I can still see the sunset and the houses as they passed.

Sexual hobo bump....

Still looking....

Luci, no, I don't believe there was any significant crime element. It was definitely not true crime.

Sexual hobo bump....

I don't remember any explicit sexual contact, but there is something along those lines in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Ooooh, I think you may be onto something there.

I'm going to go dig up my copy and report back.

Me too! It could be the one I mentioned!

Well, I dug up my copy of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, and I believe this may be the story I was thinking of. There is no sexual contact between Smokey Lonesome and the fellow hobo he meets and travels with, although it's mentioned that the younger man was trying to get away from other men trying to "bugger" him. He is described as good looking. I think perhaps I had elements of Midnight Cowboy in my mind as well, although as far as I can recall, there are no hobos riding the rails in that. I'm going to call it solved. Thanks mucho for your help!

You're welcome!

omg its solved!? Congrats!!! I can hardly believe it after so long. Enjoy! And kelgar01 you are a superhero!!!

�� DαякєηRнα�� �� ᶜʳᵒᵘᶜʰᶤᶰ�� ʰᵘᵐᵃᶰ ; ʰᶤᵈᵈᵉ�� ᵗᶤᵗᵃ�� �� wrote: "omg its solved!? Congrats!!! I can hardly believe it after so long..."

Eh, two years is nothing around here ;)