Friday Reads: The Girl On The Train- Paula Hawkins

Every day Rachel catches the same train to work. She knows the route, surroundings and the fact it will wait at a signal and overlook a row of back gardens. She's even created stories about some of the people that live in the houses. But one house is perfect to her. There is a perfect couple, with a perfect home and life. That is until she sees something shocking. In the blink of an eye she is caught up in the lives of the people she sees. She's not just the girl on the train anymore. 

I'm a massive fan of a good psychological thriller. Crime novels have too much gore, horror is just out of the question. But a good thriller leaves me turning the pages and guessing what is going on right up until the plot twist is revealed. 

This book is wonderful. Split into a multiple person narrative like Gone Girl it explores the same shocking moment from several people's points of view. It was hard at first to distinguish who was who. All the narrators are female and roughly the same age so at times I was having to glance at the top of the page where their name was. 

But the story itself was fantastic. Between an alcoholic, a liar and a cheat you don't know which character you can trust. 

Rachel isn't the best witness. With a multitude of problems in her personal life she is described as being volatile and reckless with her statements. But she is desperate to solve the mystery and will do whatever it takes to help. She just can't remember anything after a few drinks.

It's a fast paced book. One they grips you like Before I Go To Sleep but with the female grittiness of Gone Girl. It reminded me heavily of Rear Window. Seeing something you shouldn't have, getting involved in it and trying to solve the crime. 

There are some great twists and bumps in this tale. Each narrative from the women come at different time points but somehow end at the same place. A bit like racing trains that will inevitably crash. 

I think the less said about the story the better. It's one that needs to be read to fully enjoy. Too much about the story will definitely spoil it!


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