- “Dishonesty Is The Second-Best Policy and Other Rules to Live By” by David Mitchell
- “Michael Palin In Venezuela” by Michael Palin
- “Happiness: Lessons From A New Science” by Richard Layard
- “The People on Platform 5” by Clare Pooley
Started: 24th January 2026
Finished: 26th January 2026
2/5 stars
This was a Christmas present. It’s a book about a group of people who commute by train, and get to know each other following a sequence of events that starts with one of them nearly choking to death on a grape, and another one of them administering first aid. The big reason why I was given this book is that it’s set on the route between Hampton Court and London Waterloo. I lived in this area pretty much continuously from the age of 8 right up to my mid-thirties, living in and going to school in Kingston, later living in Raynes Park, and working at the station. I know Hampton Court well as my mum grew up nearby, my social life revolved around New Malden for many years, and I travelled to Waterloo frequently for work and pleasure.
I was really hoping that the locations would be significant to the plot, but unfortunately, besides the location of Iona’s house and the use of Hampton Court Palace as a meeting point for some of the characters, none of the action takes place in any identifiable locations, and the book could be set anywhere. I was rather looking forward to mentions of places that I know. I also couldn’t get around a major factual inaccuracy – mention of tables on trains from Hampton Court to London. I know this is serious rivet-counting, but these trains have never had tables. It really bugged me.
The characters are an interesting bunch, and had quite a lot of potential, but I think that mostly their story arcs weren’t particularly interesting. I also think they all resolved their problems rather simplistically. I think in particular that Emmie wasn’t done justice – her relationship issues were visible from space early on in the book, and the big reveal was very obvious when it came. I also think she extricated herself from her difficulties far too easily.
Iona was a fun character, and had quite a lot going for her, although personally I didn’t find her particularly likeable, and the whole book depends on you warming to her. Like a lot of female characters in books aimed at women (which I think this one clearly is), she works for a magazine, something that’s meant to be glamorous and exciting, but that I really struggle to care about. Likewise the other main female character works in advertising, a shitty industry that I think has done precisely nothing good for the universe, so again – not impressed.
People breaking down the normal reserve and wariness they have towards their fellow commuters is an interesting concept, but this ultimately fell a bit flat for me. There’s some funny moments and some good writing here, it’s just not for me. It’s too cheesy, twee and “heartwarming” for me, just not the sort of book I enjoy. It’s a nice fluffy read for those that like this sort of thing, and it kept me going, it’s just not really my bag.
As others have mentioned, the author also appears to have multiple axes to grind in this book, and it gets tedious and preachy after a while.
