Unbecoming: A Novel by Rebecca Scherm

 Unbecoming: A Novel by Rebecca Scherm. Viking (Penguin), 2015. Adult fiction.




In an unusual tale of art theft, deceit, and love, this debut novel begins in Paris where Grace has crafted a new life for herself as Julie. She checks online everyday for news from her former home in Garland, Tennessee where it seems the robbery of an estate museum has involved and imprisoned people Grace knows very well. Chapters alternate by place, Paris providing clues to her current life and Garland filling in the details of Grace's former life. Peppered with intriguing examples of other thefts and how they may have been committed, the author also weaves a spell of a small town and its citizens, children, and social stratas. What happens if you get what you really want? What happens if you don't? Can you become someone else? Or can you unbecome who you have become?

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Riverhead Books (Penguin), 2015. Adult fiction.      


In three weeks, when I only moved slightly up from 148 on the waiting list at our public library,  I went out and bought this book. Billed as the one to read if you liked Gone Girl, this debut thriller did not disappoint!  


Rachel has her own problems. She has lost her job, but not told her roommate. She drinks too much. She lies. Her husband has moved on with another woman, but still lives in the same house, HER house. In the endless train rides into London which provide the only normalcy in her life, she makes up a fantasy life for a couple at the signal stop, the one just down from her former home. It's impossible  not to stare into the yards of the houses along the train tracks. Before long, Rachel sees something amiss. This leads her into the lives of other people in big and subtle ways. But, is she a reliable witness?


Alternating chapters from viewpoints of Rachel, Megan (the woman Rachel watches), and Anna (her ex-husband's new spouse), the suspense builds. At first, you need a playcard to keep the names straight since even the men's names seem too alike (Tom, Scott, Jason). But, when you are drawn into the drama, you won't be able to stop reading. Words flow across the pages quickly, but the ending does not seem rushed. The threads of the story are twisted together into a smooth yarn. Let's hope that Paula Hawkins' former journalism career allowed her to keep lots of notes on ideas for more novels like this one.