Some novels build their tension through action. Others build it through conversation. I Made You Up Inside My Head by Marta Pérez-Carbonell belongs firmly in the latter category, using a single overnight train journey to explore storytelling, memory, and the ethical boundaries between lived experience and fiction. While readers looking for a plot-heavy novel may find it slow, those interested in questions about narrative itself will discover plenty to think about.
At first glance, almost nothing happens. A translator named Alicia boards an overnight train from London to Edinburgh and shares a compartment with Terry, a professor whose latest novel has become the center of controversy, and Bo, Terry’s graduate student. During the long journey, the three exchange stories from their lives over food and drinks, gradually revealing old betrayals, painful memories, and uncomfortable truths.
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