This fast-paced, heart-pounding, and mind boggling psychological thriller is rising to be one of the most intriguing books of 2015. Written by Paula Hawkins, this New York Times Bestseller has become an instant hit for its outstandingly unsettling plot and characters.
Kicking off, the story begins with Rachel, a divorced alcoholic woman who compulsively rides the train daily to a job that doesn’t exist. Every day she watches the couple who lives next to the tracks, obsessing over their marriage and apparent love. Their life, in her mind, is perfect, unlike her own ruined one. Then one day, something terrible happens.
The unfortunate thing is, she can’t remember what. Becoming hopelessly entangled in the mystery that unfolds, along with the lives of everyone involved, she struggles to uncover the truth of a horrible occurrence. What follows is a thrilling mystery that will leave readers frantic to unravel.
Toying with unreliable narratives and dark, complicated characters, Hawkins has a grand time twisting the enthrallingly frustrating plot into intricate knots. Told in three women’s points of view – Rachel, Anna, and Megan – none of whom are trustworthy as unbiased narrators, the story unfolds in a new and interesting way, giving this novel a fresh aura.
Along with this uncertainty of truth from the narrating character’s, Hawkins develops a network of personalities that are both believable and highly relatable, all the while adding a level of immorality to each character that is exciting as a reader. Anything can happen, and no one is blameless.
Dealing with a central theme of treacherous marriage dynamics and serial infidelity, the story quickly takes a dark turn into a tunnel filled with an internalized and destructive misogyny, and a confronting look at mental instability and alcoholism.
Recently honored by frequent comparisons to the hugely popular, film-adapted Gone Girl, published in 2012, The Girl On The Train is clearly a novel with extreme potential. The intricate level of detail that the author wove into The Girl On The Train shows in the rating: five stars.
Paced well, with an intriguing mystery and a thrilling yet haunting climax, this novel is a must-read. Readers beware, however. Once you start, you can’t set it back down.
