The Elsewhere Express

By Samantha Sotto Yambao

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - When you lose your way in life, the Elsewhere Express just might find you. Step on board the train that may take you to your life's purpose in this wistful, Ghibli-esque fantasy from the bestselling author of Water Moon.

This deluxe first edition hardcover includes:
- Intricately designed sprayed edges
- Interactive endpapers with a scene you can color in
- A full-color illustrated book case beneath the jacket

"A delicately layered dream of a book that glimmers with the promise of hope after grief, The Elsewhere Express will carry you to the stars."--Molly O'Neill, author of Greenteeth

You can't buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it's a magical train seeming to carry very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.

Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead.

One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she's swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, an intriguing artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.

Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that's also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds.

Over the course of their long, strange night on the train, they also discover that it harbors secrets--and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.

But in investigating the stowaway's identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life's true purpose--and is it a destination the Elsewhere Express can take her to?

★ "A stunning, visual fever dream of a story akin to both the game Spiritfarer and Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea--a character-driven tale wrapped in a sparklingly creative spectacle of a world that inhabits a Studio Ghibli-like chaos even as it comes with a well-organized passenger rulebook."--Booklist (starred review)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593725026
• ISBN13: 9780593725023
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Whimsical train ride!

A gorgeous cover that matches this magical whimsical story that felt similar to Spirited Away in tone and feelings while still being a masterpiece for the mind. I loved reading this about Raya and Q, two people lucky enough to get tickets to an incredible experience and an adventure to remember forever! And I know I will be thinking about it for a long time too. It is a tale of growth, changing, and finding out what is important while also letting go of things that drag you down and keep you in one place. And as Raya and Q find out, it is also important to remember, even if it hurts. While I am not adrift in life, I think the Elsewhere Express would be fun to visit (especially with the different exhibits and being able to sit on a lily pad in a lake for lunch!) and meet all the quirky passengers and others who have found their home and place on the train. So, this story is full of whimsy, a quest to keep it safe, and a bit of heartbreak for Q and Raya on this magical train and I had so much reading it and learning their tale. I am very glad I got the chance to do so!