Woodcrest | Reviews | Book |The Girl on the Train

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN // SARAH ALSTROM

One of the most talked about novels of 2015 is the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train written by Paula Hawkins. This suspenseful story is Hawkins’ first stab at producing a work of fiction. Taking place in a suburb of London, the story follows the life of Rachel, a thirty-something alcoholic, who rides the train to and from her menial job. Day after day, she longingly stares out the window at the blurred homes, one of which used to be hers, as the train barrels down the tracks. While dreaming about her former life, Rachel watches a couple while they sit on their patio in the mornings and the evenings. She soon names them Jess and Jason and spends her time on the train fantasizing about their seemingly perfect lives. Then one day everything changes and Jess (real name Megan) ends up missing. As Rachel attempts to solve the mystery that has shaken her small town, she finds herself at the top of the suspect list. Now that Rachel has found something in her life to live for, will it turn out that it will also be the thing that will take her life away?

Although Rachel is often the narrator, the book actually takes place from the point of view of three different women: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. The multiple narrators only help to build the mystery and suspense culminating in an intense conclusion. With each of the narrators facing her own problems, none can be considered overly reliable. This element brings a humanistic tone to this fictional story. Rachel’s dry yet truthful humor, as well as her thoughts and descriptions of the situations going on around her, help to bring the story to life. With the realistic touches, this story feels as though it could be happening in the small, quiet town right down the road.

The Girl on the Train has been one of the most widely-read books this year, and the rights for a film version have already been sold. Finding a place at the top of the New York Times Fiction Bestsellers list for 13 weeks, it is obvious that this novel has become extremely popular. The tremendous success does not stop there. In only eight months, over three million copies of the book have been sold in the United States alone. This novel has also been compared to one of the most talked about thrillers, Gone Girl. Both novels deal with an unreliable narrator and a gripping mystery that keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat until the last page. With the gripping plot and heart-pounding mystery, this is a book that just cannot be put down.