Review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
One of the hottest books of 2015, The Girl on the Train tells the story of Rachel, a commuter who rides the train past the same houses every day. At a signal stop, she always watches a particular family. She’s given the couple names - Jess and Jason - and imagined a wonderful, happy life for them. This picture-perfect creation of her imagination is ruined when she witnesses a shocking incident. When the wife is murdered soon after, Rachel realizes that she may hold the secret to uncovering the truth behind the woman’s death. But Rachel is an unreliable witness, an alcoholic with large gaps in her memory, a penchant for lying, and a troubled past. She may be doing more harm than good as she becomes entwined in the investigation, but the attention and the mystery is too addictive for Rachel to stop.
The story is told from the perspectives of three women: Rachel; Anna, the new wife of Rachel’s ex-husband, and Megan, the murdered woman. Their lives are all intimately connected and dominated by Tom, the ex-husband of Rachel, the father of Anna’s child, and the former employer of Megan. All three narrators are deeply flawed, hiding terrible secrets behind facades of domestic normalcy. It’s hard to like any of them.
Should I read a book populated by people I dislike? It’s an interesting question to me. If I’m consistently annoyed by the narrator(s), it does color my overall view of the story, usually in a negative way. Terrible things happen in The Girl on the Train, but it’s far less traumatizing when a small part of me thinks the women deserve it. But when I look a little deeper and appreciate the honesty of these women in laying out the worst aspects of their personalities and behaviors for scrutiny, I do find myself sympathizing. I think that very few of us would be flattered if forced to display the darker aspects of ourselves to the world, and while Rachel, Anna, and Megan all represent extreme examples there’s something recognizable in them.
The story is definitely dramatic and filled with tension. With a relatively small cast of characters, it quickly becomes obvious that the murderer must be someone the reader knows. I guessed early on who the killer was, and my hunch proved correct. The excitement came from wondering if Rachel would pull herself together long enough to make the connections, and if the others would listen to her. I wouldn’t say it ever reached the point where I couldn’t put the book down, but The Girl on the Train was an entertaining and dark psychological thriller. Knowing how hot that genre is at the moment, I can see why so many people picked this up and made the book one of the breakout stars of the year.
3.5 out of 5 stars
To read more about The Girl on the Train, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire
2013: Happy Thanksgiving!
2012: News: Shopping For Pearls in a Bookstore?
2011: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
2010: Happy Thanksgiving!
2009: Going on hiatus...
2008: What books are you hoping to receive during the holiday season?
by Paula Hawkins
One of the hottest books of 2015, The Girl on the Train tells the story of Rachel, a commuter who rides the train past the same houses every day. At a signal stop, she always watches a particular family. She’s given the couple names - Jess and Jason - and imagined a wonderful, happy life for them. This picture-perfect creation of her imagination is ruined when she witnesses a shocking incident. When the wife is murdered soon after, Rachel realizes that she may hold the secret to uncovering the truth behind the woman’s death. But Rachel is an unreliable witness, an alcoholic with large gaps in her memory, a penchant for lying, and a troubled past. She may be doing more harm than good as she becomes entwined in the investigation, but the attention and the mystery is too addictive for Rachel to stop.
The story is told from the perspectives of three women: Rachel; Anna, the new wife of Rachel’s ex-husband, and Megan, the murdered woman. Their lives are all intimately connected and dominated by Tom, the ex-husband of Rachel, the father of Anna’s child, and the former employer of Megan. All three narrators are deeply flawed, hiding terrible secrets behind facades of domestic normalcy. It’s hard to like any of them.
Should I read a book populated by people I dislike? It’s an interesting question to me. If I’m consistently annoyed by the narrator(s), it does color my overall view of the story, usually in a negative way. Terrible things happen in The Girl on the Train, but it’s far less traumatizing when a small part of me thinks the women deserve it. But when I look a little deeper and appreciate the honesty of these women in laying out the worst aspects of their personalities and behaviors for scrutiny, I do find myself sympathizing. I think that very few of us would be flattered if forced to display the darker aspects of ourselves to the world, and while Rachel, Anna, and Megan all represent extreme examples there’s something recognizable in them.
The story is definitely dramatic and filled with tension. With a relatively small cast of characters, it quickly becomes obvious that the murderer must be someone the reader knows. I guessed early on who the killer was, and my hunch proved correct. The excitement came from wondering if Rachel would pull herself together long enough to make the connections, and if the others would listen to her. I wouldn’t say it ever reached the point where I couldn’t put the book down, but The Girl on the Train was an entertaining and dark psychological thriller. Knowing how hot that genre is at the moment, I can see why so many people picked this up and made the book one of the breakout stars of the year.
3.5 out of 5 stars
To read more about The Girl on the Train, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire
2013: Happy Thanksgiving!
2012: News: Shopping For Pearls in a Bookstore?
2011: Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
2010: Happy Thanksgiving!
2009: Going on hiatus...
2008: What books are you hoping to receive during the holiday season?