Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

Piers is one of the point-of-view characters in the novel. His choking on a grape is the inciting incident that sets the plot in motion, and over the course of the novel he goes from being an antagonist to protagonist.

Piers is a 38-year-old man who lives in a mansion in Surbiton with his wife, Candida, and two children, Theo and Minty. Piers, whose real name is Kevin, had an unstable childhood with a mother with an alcohol dependency and a frequently absent father who gambled. A teacher helped Piers discover his love of numbers, and he used his skill at math to begin a career as a futures trader. He was very successful investing other people’s money, earning the nickname “Midas” from his peers, after the mythological king who turned everything he touched into gold.

Piers feels pressure to keep up his lifestyle. After he is dismissed from his job, he is too embarrassed to tell his family what happened. He tries to hide the truth by commuting every day, projecting a prosperous façade to others, and hopes to provide financial security for his family by day trading. As he steadily loses money, the revelation of the truth comes as a relief to Piers. When he confesses to Iona that he hates his job, this moment of truth leads him to become more honest in all areas of his life.

Though he has a tendency to judge others based on their appearance, Piers learns to curb this reflex as he makes friends with others on the train. He becomes less self-conscious and more self-aware. He realizes he didn’t actually need or enjoy the trappings of his wealthy lifestyle and is content with less. Most of all, he finds satisfaction in using his skill in mathematics to teach students at Martha’s school. While he is concerned about discipline and maintaining authority, he also hopes for the chance to have a positive influence on a young person’s life. Piers learns the value of being honest with himself and open with others.

Sanjay is a protagonist and point-of-view character in the novel. He is a young man in his 20s who works as a nurse in a London hospital. Sanjay’s parents are originally from India and he is close with his mother, Meera, who sends him food and inquires about his romantic life, trying to set him up with people she knows.

Sanjay is sensitive and empathetic. This makes him a successful nurse, but it also amplifies his job stress, triggering insomnia and panic attacks over his fear of poor outcomes for his patients. Like some of the other characters, Sanjay has experienced bullying in his life, mainly due to his Indian heritage, which leads him to intervene and stand up to Martha’s bullies when he notices her in distress on the train.

Sanjay is tender-hearted about people and develops a crush on Emmie. After he intervenes and saves Piers from choking, Sanjay takes the opportunity to get to know Emmie better. Though he is disappointed that she is dating someone else, Sanjay continues to be a friend to Emmie, showing that he is loyal and kind. He is wary about taking risks and being embarrassed or exposed, but he, too, is encouraged by his train friends to take action. He joins a clinician’s support group at work that helps him feel less alone in his struggles with his job, and he makes a bold gesture in asking Emmie on a date.

Emmie is another protagonist and point-of-view character in the novel. She is a young, attractive woman in her 20s, with red hair and a slight gap between her teeth. She enjoys reading and often has a book on the train. Emmie was known in her youth for her activism. Though she works in an advertising firm, she doesn’t support ad campaigns that are designed to lower people’s self-esteem, as demonstrated when she speaks up against targeting young women with a new diet pill.

Emmie is romantic and imaginative. She thinks Toby, her boyfriend, is nearly ideal, since he shows such concern and care for her. Emmie lost her mother at a young age and has grown distant from her father, and it may be this lack of close parental influence that makes her question her own confidence and abilities. Emmie is hurt and bewildered by the anonymous “friend” who sends demeaning messages, but she is afraid to tell anyone about them. She is also reluctant to admit to herself that she is attracted to Sanjay.

With the help of her train friends, including Sanjay’s advice, Emmie finds the courage to question Toby’s controlling attitude toward her and leave him when she sees signs of manipulation and abuse. She finds solace by helping Iona refashion her career. Over the course of the story, she reclaims what she feels to be her old self, and she too takes a risk in accepting Sanjay’s invitation to go on a date. Like the others, she finds the courage to go after what she truly wants.