Tuesday 11 October 2016

On Books | The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins


I mentioned that I had barely put this book down since getting it the other day. Quite literally. I got it last Wednesday; I finished it yesterday! I really enjoyed it and finally understand the hype! I also thought it was a great autumnal read; it isn't a cosy read, but it's definitely one that you can stay in all day when it's cold and wet and just keep reading. 

The book follows Rachel, who goes on the same trains every day and passes the same houses every day. She sees the same people and has conjured up lives and names for them as if she knows them. Her over active imagination leads her to eventually becoming involved in a murder investigation. Being an alcoholic and emotionally unstable, Rachel is quite a complex character (I can also see how Emily Blunt will be so good in this role!) Her story develops so well throughout the book as more and more of her past becomes unveiled and everything starts to make a little more sense about who she is. 

It also follows two other women, Anna and Megan. Anna is Rachel's ex-husbands new wife. Megan is one of the people Rachel sees from the train. As the book progresses, it becomes very clear that they are all in fact very much intertwined. 
The book is a thriller and gets darker and darker as it continues. I did not see the ending coming until very late in the book. But that's probably just me as I don't like to try and work out how it will end. For some people however it was probably kind of predictable, but I personally did not find that. 

The only negative comments I would make is that it is written by date, then morning and evening. This meant that sometimes I would have to turn back to see how the days were following on, especially when the narrator changed. But this was more my pedantic side than the actual writing was hard to follow. The second is that the ending does suddenly all build up, happen and then just kind of fades out. Again, this may just be me that found this, and it by no means ruined the book! 

I though that Hawkins writing was very direct and she gave the feel of each of the characters really well so that each time the narrator changed it really did seem like another person. I would definitely recommend this book; and if you're like me, read it before the film (which I cannot now wait to see!)

Have you read The Girl On The Train?
xoxo

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