'The 392' by Ashley Hickson-Lovence
August 2025 - 'The 392' by Ashley Hickson-Lovence
In August the book group enjoyed this original and vivid contemporary novel, in which Hickson-Lovence writes the story of a group of passengers on a London bus, written in real-time from the perspective of each person.
A narrative from multiple viewpoints
By giving us a narrative written from multiple viewpoints Hickson-Lovence uses his single-decker bus as a microcosm of London – containing teenagers going to school, a trainee lawyer going to work, a young pregnant woman on her way to hospital.
We enjoyed the way Hickson-Lovence played with stereotypes, challenged our expectations and created a compellingly tense narrative, where the passengers are united in a threat that isn’t what it seems.
Gentrification
Readers discussed the theme of gentrification which is central to the novel’s Hoxton’s setting though some who knew the local area felt more could have been made of the location. Readers noted how the sense of the journey was also applicable to the lives of the characters, many of whom are at a moment in their lives when things are about to change. Though we only see a small fragment of each character’s lives, Hickson-Lovence creates rounded, though we felt some were better formed than others.
Conclusion
Without giving too much away, the group had mixed feelings about the novel’s ending, feeling that it wasn’t a satisfactory conclusion to such an intriguing story, leaving many loose ends for the reader to question.
Archive sources
The group looked at the history of the bus network in London including administrative records relating to the London General Omnibus Company held in the collections at TLA. It was the largest bus operator in the world by the 1850s, with 7000 horses by 1905.
Horses were expensive, so there was great experimentation to create motorised buses. Inventors created steam-powered buses and electric buses. The first motor bus was created in 1899.
The London Motor Omnibus had developed the 'Vanguard' by 1905 which was a motorised bus painted red. The company were bought out by the London General Omnibus Company which is why we still have red buses today.
