From
“Breath becomes air” by Paul Kalanithi, I landed on “The Girl on the Train” by
Paula Hawkins. It was a deliberate attempt to shed the melancholy that filled
in me after reading the former. I felt that a thriller would do the trick.
I
was not wrong, completely.
“The girl on the train” is a psycho-thriller narrated through the eyes of three
women; Rachel, Megan and Anna. Rachel is a daily commuter, who observes the life
of Megan, through the windows her train, is the protagonist. However, Rachel
and Megan are strangers to each other. Anna, who lives a few houses away from
Megan, is wife of Rachel’s ex Tom.
Rachel
is an alcoholic and psycho, who imagine more things than she actually sees. Her
character is described perfectly in the first chapter itself, wherein she finds
a pair of discarded dresses beside railway track.
Even she
weaves a story out of that dirty bundle of cloth.
Anna
is afraid of Rachel. For that matter, Rachel had once attempted to abduct their
daughter. Her appearance at their street scares her. Tom has a soft corner for
his ex and he stops Anna from registering a complaint with police.
Rachel
had named Megan and her husband, Scott, as Jess and Jason as she didn’t know
their real names. She just saw them whilst passing through by morning train
towards London, to her work place. It turns out to be her habit, to observe
them, each time the train slows down at signals near their house. Rachel’s is a
broken marriage (broken heart) and surprisingly, watching their love and caring
from a distance has a soothing effect on her.
The
story takes a turn when Megan goes missing.
The
story of Jess and Jason was very different from what Rachel had imagined. A
Part of her wanted to help Jason (Scott) to find his wife. Eventually, she also
becomes the part of their life.
The
revelation that follows shocks her. Even one’s own eyes could be so deceptive!
To
find out more, grab a copy of “The girl on the train.”
Pros:
A carefully crafted thrilling read. Once it sinks in, you will not keep the
book down.
Cons:
The narration felt monotonous initially. I felt that all the three female
characters had same voice. And I had to turn to chapter heading to find out who
is speaking.
Rating:
4/5
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