Call me nosy, but there is nothing I love more than people-watching. So, it was only natural that one fateful day on the Bakerloo line, I caught a glimpse of what the elderly gentleman across from me was reading, and it soon snowballed into a habit of observing what books people have brought with them to consume on their commutes. Consider this a book recommendation list, if you will, unofficially curated by the local Londoners roaming the city.
Netherland by Joseph O’Neill
The first elderly gentleman wore a navy coat and a light grey scarf, the shade of which was not unlike the wisps of hair decorating his head. He slowly descended into the seat opposite me, pulling out a tattered copy of Netherland by Joseph O’Neill, which tells the story of a Dutch man revisiting New York to attend the funeral of a friend. There, he reflects on his life there in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Hailed a ‘post-9/11 masterpiece’, the story is inspired loosely by The Great Gatsby, but rewritten in a postcolonial setting. As the elderly man continued to flip through the pages carelessly, my attention shifted to the woman in the far end of the carriage who was holding up a blue book by its spine.
The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins
The young woman, dressed in khaki-coloured sports gear, sat so far from me that I had to squint to make out the words on her book cover. I successfully made out the first three words and decided that an Internet search would fill in the remaining gaps. The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins was the first result to pop up on the search engine, and its bright teal cover confirmed that this was the book she had been reading. The First 90 Days is a self-help book that focuses on career transitions. Michael Watkins, who is currently a renowned Professor of Leadership and Organisational Change, talks readers through a step-by-step guide on how to set boundaries and prepare oneself to take on new leadership roles in the workplace. I wonder, was the woman herself going through a similar career transition? Had she recently been promoted? If so, then good on you, Miss.
You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
A couple days after my first two entries, I was rushing through Paddington Station to get on the Elizabeth Line when I saw a woman in a long black dress and mulberry-coloured hijab pacing back and forth with a book in hand. Of course, I had to stop and observe what she was reading. It didn’t matter that I missed the train to Abbey Wood – the next one was coming in five minutes. This was far more important. It was yet another triumph for me when I came home that day to confirm the book she had with her on Google, which it turned out to be You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza. You Were Always Mine is a story of two women, one who gets unexpectedly pregnant and abandons her baby, and the other who finds said baby. The women go down a path of trying to face their own respective trauma and the judgement of those who are closest to them. Reading the synopsis for this book, I am even more compelled to read the novel on my own. I will forever owe the woman in Paddington Station for (unofficially) recommending such a beautiful novel.
As an unofficial literary voyeur, I am constantly reminded of how powerful books can be and how they can often offer glimpses into the lives of people who we would otherwise know nothing about. So, next time you are on the tube, I implore you to take a moment to look around and see what books your fellow travellers are immersed in. Who knows, it might just be your next great read!