NO SPOILERS,

“But I did become sadder, and sadness gets boring after a while, for the sad person and for everyone around them.”

I am opening Sunday Book Club with a review of a book I have read previously. To the side of this page you will find a small sampling of the books I have read thus far in my life thanks to Goodreads , admittedly the list does need some updating. →→→→→

If you haven’t read (or watched) The Girl on the Train then what are you doing with your life? Okay I’m kidding, kind of, but seriously this is a book that, to me, is worth the hype. I purchased The Girl on the Train a couple months back at Morrisons for £4. (I could be wrong on this price.) Simply to have a book to read when on the coach, and to read when I wished to procrastinate from Uni deadlines.

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins, is a complex psychological thriller that, for the most part, follows the narrative of a woman named Rachel on her daily train commute to work and back. The blurb on the reverse of the book informs us that Rachel is a people watcher whilst she commutes and is somewhat envious of the ‘perfect’ life they have. However, something ‘shocking’ occurs allowing for Rachel to now become more than just “the girl on the train.” It is correct to label this book as a psychological thriller, as it provides the reader with a dark and unsettling read. Unfortunately, reviewing this book has proved more difficult than I first thought – avoiding disclosing spoilers is a tricky matter.

Moving on to the content of the book…

As mentioned, the story follows the narrative of commuter Rachel but also follows the narrative of two other women: Anna and Megan. As expected, with three narrators, the lives of each do become intertwined mostly due to the meddling of a Rachel. The way in which the narrative is delivered by Paula Hawkins’ writing allows for the reader to experience a closeness with the lives of the women the story follows. This isn’t to say that the characters become like-able, I found Rachel to be an annoying busy body with far too much time on her hands, but you can understand, and maybe even relate, to their struggles and emotions.

• Rachel is 30-something train commuter who likes to people watch just a little too much. who pushes her presence into the lives of the people she watches through her train window.
• Anna is a bitch. To say it simply. She prides herself on being a husband stealer far too much.
• Megan, the focal point of Rachel’s train stalking. She is a woman with a troubled past and a lack, better yet a fear, of commitment that combines for disastrous results.

This book deals with themes of adultery, betrayal and alcohol abuse. The Girl on the Train is a thoughtfully pieced together, non-chronological, book that masterfully builds suspense.
Despite not finding the characters particularly like-able, the women were realistic – flawed, somewhat crazy, but real. Once finished, I found myself talking about this book to anyone that would listen.

Paula Hawkins did an incredible job in creating The Girl on the Train. Its a book that you just don’t want to put down until you’ve finished.

One word review: thought-provoking ( that hyphen makes it one word)

Rating: 4.5/5

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