TITLE: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
AUTHOR: PAULA HAWKINS (DEBUT NOVEL)
GENRE: PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER NOVEL
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
“One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl“
Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…
MAIN CHARACTERS
Rachel Watson: Protagonist, a drug addict divorcee
Tom Watson: Rachel’s ex-husband
Anna Watson: Tom’s Wife
Megan Hipwell: “Jess” as of Rachel and neighbour of Tom
Scott Hipwell: “Jason” as of Rachel Megan’s husband
Cathy: Rachel’s friend with whom she lives.
Dr Kamal Abdic: Mental therapist
MY REVIEW :
The novel is a real page-turner with lots of twist and turns. The story has switched through the perspectives of three main women characters, each of them has a unique essence of the constitution. The story gives a better illustration of London’s busy life, crowded street, Victorian architecture and landscape.
Rachel, the protagonist, typify the women who receive the blame for everything, a sufferer of domestic violence, and a drug addict. The novel explained delusion and blackouts caused by overuse of drugs coherently. Anna symbolizes possessive wives who sacrifice everything for their husbands. She’s selfish about her family, she boasts before others especially Rachel. Megan has lots of dark past refrains herself to share with others. She is a girl who wants to live carefreely.
Male characters portrayed either as husband or lover, have equal importance in the story. Author stereotyped men as a philanderer which I felt was a derogatory remark. The novel has portrayed the intricate details of human relations and how relations makes & breaks. Story glides through the pages with adequate space for speculations. Mystery endures till the last page but the ending was so flat it could have been better. Overall novel’s good.