About the Book
Every day Iona, a larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, travels the ten stops from Hampton Court to Waterloo Station by train, accompanied by her dog, Lulu. Every day she sees the same people, whom she knows only by nickname: Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Terribly-Lonely-Teenager. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do.
Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. He’d have died were it not for the timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver.
This single event starts a chain reaction, and an eclectic group of people with almost nothing in common except their commute discover that a chance encounter can blossom into much more. It turns out that talking to strangers can teach you about the world around you–and even more about yourself.
My Review
A simply lovely book that will remind readers what happens when people work together to become their best selves. The ensemble cast is eclectic and all over the place, with Iona Iverson at the core. Each person has something they are struggling with in their lives – losing jobs, marriage troubles, bullying in school – and all begin to flock to Iona on their commuter train to help them through their struggles. But when Iona suddenly disappears from her regular seat after her own personal turmoil, the tables are turned and those she helped come together to help her.
I loved the concept of bringing so many different personalities, ages and life struggles to one core group. Each character brought a little something extra, but I personally enjoyed reading about Sanjay and Emmie and would love to have another book focused on them. As a big believer in people are better when they work together, I really agreed with so much while I was reading this. Sure, at times it was a little predictable, but it was so feel-good and delightful that I didn’t even mind. There are plenty of humorous moments, a lot of heartfelt ones and overall a charming novel I would recommend, especially for a beach read – or even one for your own commute.
4 stars
