Review of “Runaway Train” by Krista Cambers

Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)

Runaway Train by Krista Cambers is an emotionally-charged memoir written in memorial to the author's late husband, Mark Cambers. It also serves as a warning and a call to corrective action for those who wrestle with addictions and alcoholism. The book is inspiring, tense, romantic, and tragic all at once. There are also moments of gold and even humor, especially concerning Mark's extremely unique personality and the many wild adventures/shenanigans that he and Krista got themselves into.

This book will go down as one of the unexpected gems of the contest, a diamond in the rough just like Mark, the very man it centers around.

This book, incredibly, also shines a light on what it means to be truly loving, compassionate, and non-judgmental in a Christ-like way. Jesus instructed his followers to adopt these types of attitudes and behaviors, though they often get ignored, either willingly or subconsciously, by those who (perhaps) believe that being Christian means being perfect and following rules. The reality is that Jesus spent time with and ate with sinners, broken, and imperfect people, not so much with the self-righteous.

The author (Krista Cambers) profoundly demonstrates what it truly means to be Christ-like and to follow Jesus' example by not judging or dismissing her eventual husband, Mark, simply due to his past, his problems, or his homeless state and appearance. She saw the beauty, handsomeness, and spiritual light of the human being behind the long, messy hair and toothless smile. That in itself is powerful and beautiful!

So, where do we even begin? Well, how about the serendipitous way in which this unlikely pairing came about? Krista and Mark, according to the book, had some bad luck in terms of relationships. However, as life and history have taught us, the universe has a way of self-correcting and making things work out in unexpected ways. To that end, Krista found herself working at a mini-mart called Marie's on a street that happened to be frequented by many homeless including panhandlers. One of them just so happened to be Mark Cambers, someone with a very unique charm. In the book, he came across as a good talker and a funny guy. You get the sense that he was someone the author loved having around as he acted as a sort of guardian angel of the mart and the area.

Despite Mark being toothless and raggedy (an ironic adjective considering the Matt Smith mentions in the book), Krista looks past that and instead notices his incredible, deep-blue eyes. She describes him as being like Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump.

The author also isn't shy about Mark being strange and rough around the edges compared to your average person. One thing the author doesn't seem shy about talking about are the red flags that surrounded Mark. She was told that Mark was dangerous and had even stabbed someone. The latter part turned out to be true, but there was more to it than that. Mark was not a malicious, violent, or savage person who searched for danger or trouble. He was a protector and a defender who guarded his honor. Also, rather than blowing kisses at Krista, he often traded middle-fingers from the other side of the glass, something that kinda reminded us of the couple in 8 Mile (the Eminem movie). He also gets angry and irritable at various points in the book, though he never harms Krista.

There's something beautifully real and raw about this book. One of the most frustrating and annoying things about most books that feature/incorporate romance is how perfect everything seems. Everyone in these books is ridiculously physically attractive, they get along, and they're always trading saliva. Krista and Mark, on the other hand, are a true odd couple. Their relationship is far from perfect. There were many bumps, twists, and turns along the way. There were many times when they were separated and couldn't be together. However, what made them such a great couple is how they were able to look past those things—to see the beauty in each other and the bigger picture.

It's also amazing how much chemistry they developed and how much they had in common! They shared a lot of the same taste in movies, TV shows, and music, particularly metal, Doctor Who, and pirates.

In one of the most beautiful and tear-jerking moments of the book, Krista finds some of the foreign coins that Mark had collected while panhandling. She buys a pirate treasure chest and puts the coins in there as a keepsake in honor of him.

Anyway, this isn't just a romantic story, but it's a story of a man's journey and a man's tragedy—a tragedy that will resonate with many and perhaps inspire them to choose a better course of action. The book explores Mark's history with addiction and alcoholism which contributed to his death. The author describes first-hand accounts of the pain, agony, and discomfort that Mark went through in his final days, largely due to what alcohol had done to his liver. It's eerie how similar these descriptions are to what Mike Sorrentino went through in Reality Check, further reminding us that addiction and alcholism are things that affect many people. One scene in this book that stood out to us is when Mark filled three trash cans with his blood and fluids. It's so tragic, sad, and scary!

In another of the book's most beautiful scenes, Krista sings “Anywhere” by Evanescence and “Can't Help Falling in Love with You” by Elvis Presley to Mark in the hospital.

Also tear-jerking are the many photos that the author provides in the book.

The author hopes that this book can serve to guide people who might be struggling with these things toward a healthier and happier path, so they don't end up in the hospital (or worse) like Mark did. It's a cry and call to people to seek help if they need it. Mental health help is available.

This book was actually a wake up call for us. There are many homeless and panhandlers in the community. It's easy to feel afraid or put off by them because of their raggedy appearances and seemingly-threatening demeanors. Some of them shout obscenities and talk to themselves. Many of them struggle with some of the same things that Mark did. So, instead of being afraid of and avoiding them, we've actually found ourselves feeling a lot more empathy and understanding for them. He's a Mark, we tell ourselves. There are a lot of Marks out there who need our support and understanding.

Check it out on Amazon!