On the HahaFiction shelf
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting
Magazine advice columnist Iona Iverson has rules for her London commute, including keeping her fellow passengers at a distance. When a man chokes on a grape, the emergency makes the regulars speak. Their growing friendships give Iona other people's troubles to consider while her own job comes under threat.
From the publisher’s blurb
“Nobody ever talks to strangers on the train.”Read the full description at Penguin Books, publisher description
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What makes it funny?
Iona objects to hot desking because it involves sharing, and considers a 360-degree appraisal far too intimate. Her private judgments make office fashions sound faintly indecent. Readers in book groups enjoy Iona herself and the way Pooley brings the commuters together.
The comedy at work
Iona gives strangers nicknames before learning their stories. Her sharp inner commentary lets us enjoy the assumptions she makes, then reconsider them as the passengers get to know each other.
Try this if…
An ensemble of strangers becoming friends is the main appeal, with an older woman's changing working life at its center. Book-group readers emphasize the warmth and gentle humor.
Good to know
The warmth accompanies serious personal difficulties, including stalking, threatened job loss, and a teenager's intimate photograph being shared without consent.
From book groups
Questions readers ask
- Is The People on Platform 5 the same book?
- Yes. Readers identify The People on Platform 5 as the UK title of Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting.
More funny contemporary & literary
Sources & further reading
- Publisher
Publisher
- Publisher excerpt
Reading sample
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
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