Waterloo-City, City-Waterloo is a great idea for a book but it feels a little unfinished. That is not the author’s fault, but rather the nature of the ‘story’. The book is divided into two sections, Outgoing and Return, with two covers. It’s up to the reader which journey they start with, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. You can flip the book over and begin the reverse journey. In each section are descriptions of people presumably on the Tube and snatches of conversation (real or imagined, it’s not clear. Maybe imagined because there is little swearing – or maybe Australians swear more on the train). Music is noticeably absent, although there are notes of people wearing headphones. Smartphone games are absent too, but perhaps this has something to do with the time period and the lack of reception on the Tube. (There are several mentions of Blackberries which seem so ancient now!)

Emails, texts, one sided conversations, descriptions, photos and the occasional two-way conversation make up the ‘story’. While it is the story of the people on the Tube and what they are up to, there is a lack of cohesiveness which reflects the on-off, lack of interaction with fellow passengers modern rail journey. It’s a story of disconnect, going into your own world or focussing on just the one conversation. (That seems kind of rare these days as I sit here typing, listening to music, half reading another screen and checking my phone all at once). So is it a focus on the self or a lack of interaction? I think that’s up to the reader.

The book is very easy to read, it’s light and easy to skim if you wish. Like the line itself, it’s short (but takes longer to read each journey than it would to actually make it!). There are similarities in the ingoing and outgoing trips, which make searching fun. It’s interesting and intriguing but those who like a linear story are unlikely to enjoy this.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

The Waterloo & City Line is easily the shortest and least used of the 11 current London Underground lines. It runs between two busy stations, Waterloo on the South Bank beneath the National Rail station and Bank in the historic heart of the capital's financial district. The trip is just under 1½ miles in length and takes barely 4 minutes, which is still longer than the similar Times Square to Grand Central Terminal shuttle along 42nd Street in Manhattan.

Waterloo-City, City-Waterloo consists of brief external descriptions and the imagined thoughts of several people riding the subway, along with mostly inscrutable diagrams that include scribbles on newspapers, large dots in meaningless configurations, and drawings of what appears to be water in motion, presumably from the River Thames, as this line passes underneath it for a portion of the short journey. The dialogues are mostly petty and mean-spirited, as all riders seem to hate their jobs, their lives and their lovers and friends, and most obsess about their attractiveness (or lack of it) and their personal miseries. The most appealing portions of the book were the two collections of photos of babies and toddlers, although all of the children were white, which was rather anachronistic in multicultural London and its diverse population of subway passengers. This was a very disappointing read, whose shallow depth matches the brief length of the Underground line it was meant to portray. ( )