This is the book that everyone is going to be talking about in 2015. It is building up a lot of interest. In my opinion rightly so – this debut book is going to make a long journey all of its own.
Rachel gets on the 8.04 train to London, she has been doing it for so long she knows not just which stations it will stop at but all the signals along the way.
At one of those signals, she can see into the gardens of some houses. She can see the residents. In fact Rachel has become so interested in one particular couple that she has given them names ‘Jason and Jess’ and created a whole story for them. Their life looks idyllic and obviously divorced Rachel is missing what she once had.
But one day when the train stops at the same signal she sees something that does not fit in with this ideal life of these strangers. Suddenly the story she has created becomes a real nightmare. Rachel then gets involved with the real Jason and Jess, actually called Scott and Megan and it all becomes very close to home. Too close.
Can you trust Rachel though? As we learn more about her we see her rely on alcohol. These details are like drip fed to us by the author, is it this why she is divorced? Is it something else? And if she is always recovering from a hangover can we really believe what Rachel says or in fact sees?
Whilst we read Rachel’s story throughout the book, it is alternated with two other female characters Megan and Anna. Which reality is correct, can we trust any of these characters and are any of their actions justifiable. You go through a number of emotions with these characters as you range from page to page with anger, sympathy and love.
As the train continues to stop at that signal, the story keeps going. It has you wanting to know why, it questions what you see, what you hear and most of all what you believe. I liked this about the book, I enjoyed being taken through all the twists and turns and getting back to where I originally was. I am not sure if I guessed the resulting outcome or whether I did not want to acknowledge it and let the book take me on this wonderful journey. It kept the heart beating, the pages turning and reading late into the night. Excellent stuff.
“I suppose that everyone does it – looks out at the houses they pass – only we all seem them differently. All saw them differently”.
Next time you observe other people’s lives remember this book………..
The Girl on the Train is out in hardback and on kindle now.
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to receive a copy via netgalley.
I have seen a lot about this book that if you liked Gone Girl or Before I Go To Sleep then you will love this book. Well I read them books and they were good. As this book is good. I try and come to books with an open mind and never try and compare them. They can all have a place in the world quite easily. Some people I know hated Gone Girl and loved Before I Go To Sleep – it is all relative. That is why there are so many books out there.
Take this book for what it is and make no comparisons.
This book will be talked about – it has a great campaign behind it and has also made it onto the Radio 2 Book Club for Monday 19th January. I look forward to seeing how well it does and also what else Paula Hawkins writes in the future, because if it as good as The Girl on the Train then I will be reading it.
The Book Jotter 