Author: Paula Hawkins
Age Group: Adults
# of Pages: 320
My Rating: 4/5
[Summary from Amazon] Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and evening, rattling over the same junctions, flashing past the same townhouses.The train stops at the same signal every day, and she sees the same couple, breakfasting on their roof terrace. Jason and Jess, as she calls them, seem so happy. Then one day Rachel sees someone new in their garden. Soon after, Rachel sees the woman she calls Jess on the news. Jess has disappeared.
Through the ensuing police investigation, Rachel is drawn deeper into the lives of the couple she learns are really Megan and Scott Hipwell. As she befriends Scott, Rachel pieces together what really happened the day Megan disappeared. But when Megan's body is found, Rachel finds herself the chief suspect in the case. Plunged into a world of betrayals, secrets and deceptions, Rachel must confront the facts about her own past and her own failed marriage.
A sinister and twisting story that will keep you guessing at every turn, The Girl on the Train is a high-speed chase for the truth.
The moment I finished reading Gone Girl, I immediately started The Girl on the Train. The story is told in the perspectives of multiple characters with Rachel being the sole focus. Rachel is a sad divorcee with an alcohol abuse problem. She lost her job months back and pretends to goes to work everyday so her friend/roommate doesn't know that she is now unemployed. She gets herself entangled in a case that turns out much more complicated than it appears.
Similar to the set up of Gone Girl, the author delves into the mindset of her protagonist and allows the reader to fully understand her thoughts and actions. Rachel is a pitiful character who is in a constant perpetual state of self-loathing, sadness, and intoxication. This novel is extremely well written and definitely kept me going to the end. I realized while reading the novel though was that I wasn't a huge fan of these darker stories that are popular in the book world. Hence, my lower rating for this novel.
For fans of Gone Girl, suspenseful stories and dark twists, The Girl on the Train is the perfect novel to pick up next.
