The Train To Paris is the first novel by New Zealand author, Sebastian Hampson. When twenty-year-old art history student, Lawrence Williams finds himself stuck at a border station, unable to get a train back to Paris, it seems recent events have left him ripe for the allure that surrounds lodie Lavelle. Almost before he knows it, he is in her thrall, on his way to Biarritz with her, heading for an experience of a lifetime. lodie, twice his age, seems rich, sophisticated and worldly, but also unlike anyone he has ever met. Lawrence is young and inexperienced: serious, somewhat nave, although not exactly innocent, he stumbles, almost open-mouthed, after this seemingly unknowable creature whose one aim is to have fun. And despite warnings, despite his distaste for her games, he is unable to turn away: Her unstoppable momentum had returned, and I felt myself pulled along. I was not so reluctant this time. Hampson divides his novel into two parts, covering Lawrences three encounters with the fascinating lodie. Lawrences assertion I think that any experience is worth it, so long as you learn something about yourself in the process. might apply equally to both of the main characters, as their encounters perhaps teach each of them something, although from Lawrences first-person narration, the reader is left wondering about lodie. Hampsons prose superbly renders the atmosphere of summer in Biarritz and winter in Paris. His self-absorbed Lawrence is very believable, and some of the ancillary characters are also well-portrayed. This is a remarkable debut novel, and it will be interesting to see what Hampson comes up with next.