Blurb:
Rachel
takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the
track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal
that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck.
She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls
them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently
lost.
And
then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on,
but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel
offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what
happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more
harm than good?
About the Author:
Paula
Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to
fiction.
Born
and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there
ever since. The Girl on the Train is
her first thriller.
Review by Rochelle:
Rachel
is an alcoholic, taking the train into London where she wanders around during
the day, spending time at the library, buying booze for the night, hoping no
one will notice she’s been jobless for the past few months. She idealizes the
couple she watches from the window of the train where it stops for a switch
every morning, a few doors down from the dream home she shared with her
ex-husband who still lives there with his new wife and baby.
“Jess
and Jason” have everything Rachel used to have—until she witnesses Jess kissing
another man. That night she gets off the train at the nearest stop, not sure
what she plans to do. Waking up the next morning after having blacked out,
Rachel reads that Jess, whose real name is Megan, disappeared last night. She
goes to the police and tells them about the man she saw Megan kissing, and gets
more deeply involved in the investigation than she ever intended to.
I have
no idea how I ended up with this book. The fee for it showed up in my checking
account and I thought if I wiped it from my Kindle I’d be able to return it.
Well, that didn’t work. And somehow, while it disappeared from the list of
books in my account, it stayed on my Kindle. So, I figured I may as well read
it.
The Girl on the Train is told in first
person from the point of view mainly of Rachel, but it also goes into Megan’s
POV and her ex’s new wife Anne’s POVs as well. It delves into the guilt Rachel
carries at not being able to remember the night of Megan’s death. She awoke
with a head wound and blood on her hands. Did she kill Megan? Did she witness
Megan’s murder? Is Megan still alive and off somewhere with her paramour? What
can’t she remember and does she even want to?
I hate
hype. I rarely push best-sellers. I figure they have enough support. But I have
to give praise where praise is due. Well-drawn characters? These people’s
secrets have secrets. Their layers have layers. The ending completely shocked
and surprised me. Yeah, I’m jumping on the bandwagon. I highly recommend The Girl on the Train.
Heat Rating: PG
Length: 326 Pages
Prices:
Print:
Hardcover
$13.47
Paperback:
$8.05
Digital:
$11.99
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