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.
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