IONA IVERSON’S RULES FOR COMMUTING
Clare Pooley
June 7, 2022
352 pages
Penguin Random House Canada
Iona Iverson is a force to be reckoned with. She is on the border of middle age and senior-dom. She is well seasoned and loves people. And the fact that she has a dog, named Lulu, who goes with her absolutely everywhere is beside the point. Lulu is simply a constant.
This is an interesting story, very unique and quirky. Iona rides the commuter train every day and becomes familiar with other regular passengers. In today’s terminology, she would be a Life Coach.
The characters she meets on the train, Emmie, Sanjay, Piers and Marsha all have issues. Not only does she make sure the characters interact but she is going to straighten out their lives for them. From matchmaking to career counselling to relationship counselling, she does it all.
In real life, Iona would probably be labelled as an annoying busybody. But, reading about her is fun. Besides her “friends” on the train, the other passengers seem to enjoy a certain amount of voyeurism from the surrounding seats.
But everything is not as it seems. And friendship is a two-way street.
I like the writing in this book. It is not a straight narrative. Every character has a chance to be featured and we learn all their backstories. I enjoyed the realistic diversities of their personalities.
This is a heartwarming and reaffirming story about relationships and the innate goodness that exists in people. A feel-good book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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