Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare PooleyDescription
In Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley, Iona has sat in the same spot, riding on the train for many years to her job as an Agony Aunt, as the British call it, or, in the American vernacular, a magazine advice columnist. Every day she sees the same people on the train but never talks to them—until an emergency forces her to speak up. From there, there’s no stopping Iona.
While the chapters of the book are told from alternating points of view, Iona is the star. She is an absolutely fabulous character to get to know—she is dramatic, self-assured, and not ready to be stuffed in the closet with the outdated merch. Although Iona is no longer young, she is quite far from old.
Her backstory is incredible—an it-girl of the 80s and 90s, invited to all of the best parties, and paid to write about her adventures. Also a civil rights activist and performer, Iona is something special. It is difficult not to love her.
The book's ensemble cast is rounded out with Emmie, a young woman in advertising, Sanjay, a nurse, Piers, in finance, and Martha, a high school student. Written in third person, each characters story is mixed and blended with the others.
Much of the book is about Iona fighting ageism and the ways that women are made to feel irrelevant as they grow older. Iona is in an industry in which appearance and being with the zeitgeist is important, and, like other women, she gets squeezed from her place of power by a combination of changing and reducing responsibilities and bullying. As much of culture is shaped around youth, Iona's experience will resonate with many.
Iona Iverson’s Rules of Commuting would fit in a contemporary literature course, perhaps contemporary British literature. I would be less likely to teach it in a creative writing course because the books I generally choose are more literary and daring and don’t follow prescribed plots or characters.
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While the chapters of the book are told from alternating points of view, Iona is the star. She is an absolutely fabulous character to get to know—she is dramatic, self-assured, and not ready to be stuffed in the closet with the outdated merch. Although Iona is no longer young, she is quite far from old.
The book's ensemble cast is rounded out with Emmie, a young woman in advertising, Sanjay, a nurse, Piers, in finance, and Martha, a high school student. Written in third person, each characters story is mixed and blended with the others.
Much of the book is about Iona fighting ageism and the ways that women are made to feel irrelevant as they grow older. Iona is in an industry in which appearance and being with the zeitgeist is important, and, like other women, she gets squeezed from her place of power by a combination of changing and reducing responsibilities and bullying. As much of culture is shaped around youth, Iona's experience will resonate with many.
Would I Teach This Book?
Would I teach Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting? I read Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting as part of my book club and we had a lively discussion around it. I would have been unlikely to come to it on my own. However, I am glad that I read it. Though there are serious topics discussed, the book does not feel heavy—the ensemble cast and premise give it a light-hearted feel.Iona Iverson’s Rules of Commuting would fit in a contemporary literature course, perhaps contemporary British literature. I would be less likely to teach it in a creative writing course because the books I generally choose are more literary and daring and don’t follow prescribed plots or characters.
View all my reviews
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