When I first heard of this book, I have not given much attention. I was walking in my favorite bookstore and saw a usually displayed on the shelf - books bestseller. I looked at the cover and said '' I have not time for this. I was more occupied with Haruki Murakami and the rest of my favorite authors."
After a few days, in a rare moment of boredom, I opened the computer and I remembered the book with a title that reminds me of "Gone Girl". "The girl on the train," I Googled and read almost all the reviews I could find. And all said the same thing. I have to read this book.
Frankly, I do not read too often thriller, but some of my favorite books that belong to the gender. Books like "Gone Girl" and "Before I Go to Sleep." But when you read a thriller, I prefer psychological, like "Girl on the train."
This novel is exactly what I want from a thriller and I can say that this book 'will remain' in my soul.
My ''feelings'' for the book
I think you already realized that I really liked this book, even though I did not expect. I never expect a thriller to like so much, but "The Girl on the Train" came under my skin since the early chapters. And there remained under my skin, in my heart and in my mind. It's been almost a week by the time I finished and I still wake up thinking about it and what was happening in the book. You can imagine, then, how much I liked it.
"The girl on the train" is the kind of book that haunts you and not give you peace. Once you start you know you can not leave until you will not end nor it will not let you until long after the last page. At first, I tried to read slower to enjoy the experience every word and live it to the fullest. I wanted to feel every word on the skin. So I do not read very fast and not very much. I knew from the beginning it was worth reading. I grabbed the book and I left it out of hand when I finished to read the last word.
This novel is definitely a psychological thriller. Simply playing with your mind until you get to wondering what is real and what is not. You can never be sure of anything and anybody and I think that is one of the best things about this novel. It kept in suspense from the beginning and during the reading I felt that I could not breathe, so I was involved in the story.
Story / plot
The story is pretty sad and dark. Rachel, the main character has a drinking problem and that ruined her marriage and career. Tom, her former husband, now living in their home with his new wife, Anna; together they have a child that Rachel could not give him. Now Rachel is 'eaten' by guilt and sadness, and alcohol is her way of forgetting everything. Every morning, Rachel goes with the same train to London. She knows exactly when the train will stop the same signal, from which she peeks former home. But she can not bear to look at it, so Rachel did a fixation for the house at number fifteen. There's a couple that lives in Rachel's eyes is perfect couple. The woman she named "Jess" and the man "Jason". But when Jess disappears without a trace, Rachel learns that her name is actually Megan and Scott. Megan's disappearance gives Rachel a chance to get involved in their lives.
The plot is very well written and very solid. It evolves from one page to another, making and suspense grow increasingly longer. The story captivates the reader through its clarity and also by uncertainty you feel as you read. You can never be sure of anyone or anything, which is perhaps the greatest in this book. No character is reliable, because each has his version of what happened that was Saturday, as Rachel calls. That gives a sense of panic and insecurity reader, but also captivate and intrigue.
The suspense is at its peak after half the book. The author is playing, simply with your mind and not let you guess who is the perpetrator. However, take care to leave you clues along the way, clues that are found between the lines. Near the final scene, in which everything unfolds, I suspected that would be the perpetrator, and my logic was simple. All the characters have been and had suspected something suspicious, except that character who did the murder, and this is not the kind of book that anyone suspected murderer to be from the beginning. But I was safer than when I read myself that yes, my suspicions were true.
Scene
The action is quite alert enough to not get bored and not get tired. There is a moment in the middle of the book when the action stagnates and you think it will not happen anything but this is short. The author assured that we will have many surprising situation changes, making this book an extraordinary psychological novel thrilling and unpredictable. The revelations are made with the head and exactly the right moment so that captivate your attention and make you turn the page again, even if you've promised yourself you'll stop reading "chapter after that."
Scenel are typical of a thriller novel. Do not expect chase scenes or other stuff. You will meet many memories of the past and even a few romantic scenes. Trying to find out the truth about what happened to Megan, Rachel will go through several situations to the limit.
Characters
This book is not among the books that have dozens of characters. "The girl in train" has few characters around whom the action revolves. These characters are very clever and each character has made his contribution to the story. Also, there is no character that does not have even a dark secret that tries to protect him at all costs.
The narrative is divided between three female characters in the book: Rachel - the main character - Megan - woman disappeared - and Anna - the current wife of Tom, Rachel's ex-husband. Each of the three ladies gives us a new insight to what happened. But you can not trust no one. In Rachel because of her problem with alcohol in Anna because it is not the smartest or most correct person and that hates completely Rachel, and Megan because she's the one missing and you can not trust them, even if they hold the truth. Besides, she has mental problems who do not give them peace.
Characters created by Paula Hawkins are not exactly normal. All have something to hide, something that makes them guilty. And all have behavior problems. But Paula gives the reader glimpses of their pasts, so you understand why they are the way they are.
The best character described is certainly Rachel because on it I got to know best and I think that was the intention of the author. Rachel has a problem with alcohol, but also with the memory. She is a relatively weak character, without much determination or willpower. It is also obsessed with her ex-husband and how he left her she can not give peace.
Many people complain about Rachel's behavior. Yes, it can be mildly annoying, but I liked it. In addition, I understand. I think he has every right to be angry and hurt, given the way Tom cheated. It's true that its outputs are downright ridiculous at times, but is alone and needs help. During reading her character has grown a lot and I got to the heart. I also like the suspense is due them. Being an unreliable sources, you never know if what she says is true or not.
At the beginning of the book, Megan was my favorite. It seemed to me the most innocent of all. But eventually it proved that neither is innocent and that she is not the character that thought is. In the end, my take on it completely changes.
Anna is the character who disliked me deeply. I was really moved and the way he treated Rachel, even though Rachel was so bad about it. I did not like the way they think and act any way. It annoys me every time I enter the scene.
Finally we find out what was chosen for each character, except for Scott, Megan's husband. The thing that seemed to me a minus, because Scott is very important in the book and I think it ought to have a final part for him.
The style of the author
The novel is well written and Paula's style is simple, well-established, specific thriller books. Paula is an author with imagination and talent, which is clear from the way he writes. She knows how to juggle the voices and perspectives of which says, and timeframes.
That the story is narrated by three characters really helped me understand the story better, but me and shoved in a fog. Even when I form an opinion about what happened and about who is to blame, came a chapter narrated by someone who completely changes my mind.
As I said, author knows in write from the perspective of several characters. May the middle of the book, I could already distinguish who tells name without reading them. This thing is great, because not many authors fail to do so.
Romance
Many of the problems come from the book of love stories. Even if the author speaks often about love stories between characters, I felt that focuses on this side.
Substrates / messages
"The Girl on the Train" talks about abuse, family violence and how women are judged. This book demonstrates that you can never really know a man and you can never trust a man. People have many girls that they'll never know.
End
The end was simply brilliant. BRILLIANT. It was the strong point of the book, and the climax of the plot. Finally everything happens and expose some things that left me stunned and heart sore. Best appearance of the end is that you are not sure if things will end up with better than reading the last page.
points minus
I honestly tell you that I can not find any weakness in this book. Perhaps only that the author did not mention what happened to Scott. Otherwise, nothing.
Strengths
· Author style
· The fact that the story is narrated from the perspective of three characters
· action
· Intrigue
· End!
· The characters, especially Rachel
Conclusion
Worth reading. Surely. I think the book is thriller of the year. I'll assure you that I will recommend to all and I'm sure i'll give to my mother to read. The story written by Paula Hawkins is a dark tale that haunts you and does not give you peace. Very well written and extraordinarily exciting, I recommend this book to be read in a day off.