Tubing

by K. A. McKeagney

Polly, 28, lives in London with her `perfect-on-paper' boyfriend. She works a dead end job on a free London paper...life as she knows it is dull. But her banal existence is turned upside down late one drunken night on her way home, after a chance encounter with a man on a packed tube train. The chemistry between them is electric and on impulse, they kiss, giving in to their carnal desires. But it's over in an instant, and Polly is left shell-shocked as he walks away without even telling her his name.
Now obsessed with this beautiful stranger, Polly begins a frantic online search, and finally discovers more about `Tubing', an underground phenomenon in which total strangers set up illicit, silent, sexual meetings on busy commuter tube trains. In the process, she manages to track him down and he slowly lures her into his murky world, setting up encounters with different men via Twitter. At first she thinks she can keep it separate from the rest of her life, but things soon spiral out of control.
By chance she spots him on a packed tube train with a young, pretty blonde. Seething with jealousy, she watches them together. But something isn't right and a horrific turn of events make Polly realise not only how foolish she has been, but how much danger she is in... Can she get out before it's too late?

• ISBN13: 9781910453568
• Publish Date: 10 May 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 20 March 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: RedDoor Press
• Imprint: RedDoor Publishing Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

So this story, Wow oh Wow! It is not for the light-hearted, or anyone who does not like graphic risqué thrillers. So where do I start…. the beginning I guess!

Polly works for a free London paper and one night goes for a drink with her work friend Alicia (Great name by the way!) Polly, is NOT a likeable person, she is also very private, so after crying in the toilets she runs out of the bar and gets the tube home. If only this was like Sliding Doors, and she missed the train! But she makes it on the tube, dishevelled and ready for home when she is grabbed by a man who kisses her! I mean wait what!? His hands go places a stranger’s hands should not be going on a train but Polly does not stop him, no that’s too sensible, she is too excited by this and the encounter leaves her yearning for him again. Her life is turned upside down by her lust for him, when will she see him again, when can they do it again…

We do learn of Polly, and her hardship that she has had in life with her mother, which kind of makes her a bit likeable and it was just sad. Like her mother, she is a tortured soul and her coping mechanisms are dangerous to her and her health. She is in a comfortable relationship with Oliver, who absolutely loves and adores her (and puts up with way too much crap) but she is missing the passion, the lust, the electricity. None of this excuses what she is doing and I found her to be a very self-centred person!

The game of #tubing is a dangerous one. Hooking up with strangers, acting out sexual acts on busy tube carriages whilst no one pays attention. (Not this beady eye now!) All Polly wants is the mysterious man, the nameless man. She doesn’t even care that she is cheating as she replays a mantra in her head that Alicia uses. She even tried to justify to herself that she wasn’t cheating, I did find myself shaking my head at her sometimes when reading the book. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a prude, but the randomers just sticking their hands and other things in places that they shouldn’t be, erm no thank you – I mean are their hands even clean!!!

The game gets more dangerous, he is watching her with other men, and she gets jealous when she sees him with another woman and the events turn deadly!

I thought the ending of the book was a teeny weeny bit far-fetched but it did suit this crazy rollercoaster ride of a tube this book was on. Also, my answer my questions were left unanswered! I mean what happened after? Did she? Did he? Who was she? Aaahhh! See I can’t even finish my questions! Hopefully, the author can at some point! Reading the last part of the book, when it turned into more of a thriller rather than a erotica, I just sat there catching flies, my jaw had dropped. Did..that..just…happen? What…did..I…just…read?

I devoured this book in two sittings, it was written in a way where I could not and did not want to put it down, and if I had to, I was still thinking about it and the need to finish it. It was fast-paced as we became embroiled in the world with Polly. When she panicked, I panicked, gripping the book through fear of what could be. This book was fascinating, not only the dark world of tubing but watching Polly’s life spin out of control, falling into a dark (train) tunnel with no apparent light at the end.

I am not going to lie, I joined Polly’s plight in googling tubing, with no success. I wanted to see if this was a thing, not to try it out! (Get your mind out of the gutter!) I could not find any references or hashtags, maybe I was not looking in the right places, but if it is not a thing, it may become a thing!!!!!!

One thing is for sure, I am going to be watching everyone on the tube from now on!!!!

Check out my other reviews and musings on www.zooloobookblog.co.uk