The London Train by Tessa Hadley

Two storylines converge on a chance meeting between Cora and Paul, strangers who sit across from each other on the train between London and Cardiff. Marital infidelity, disputes over agricultural practices, an adult daughter who goes missing, and a husband who disappears are some of the plot devices that hooked me in Tessa Hadley's reflective novel. I feel like I know the characters well and can imagine them going on with their lives beyond hopeful ending to the story.

Juanita McMahon narrates the audiobook [Clipper Audio; 10 hours] production. McMahon's interpretations of Cora's Welsh and the various English voices were fine, although the Polish accents for a couple of minor characters weren't convincing.

Readalikes: We Had It So Good by Linda Grant (for character-driven domestic fiction) and maybe Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (for the double storyline about families, but minus romance).