The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Overall Rating: B. Great as a novel, underwhelming as a thriller.

Book titles are more important than people realize.  Their mission is to evoke intrigue, attract the reader, and make them wonder what the story is about all within a word or a sentence. The Girl on the Train is a great example of that; when I first scanned the title, I thought, “Who is this girl?  What happens on the train?”  So my imagination began to shape different scenarios of what could be held within these pages…and I should have stopped there, because this novel that held such great hope turned out to be just another ‘wannabe’ thriller. 

The story of The Girl on the Train is simple enough: English commuter and alcoholic Rachel Watson’s life has gone to shambles, and she has done nothing to make it better.  Her husband divorced her because of her alcoholism (the causes behind it don’t make it more justifiable but a bit more understandable), his mistress moved into their home after she was kicked out, and now she spends her free time pretending to go to work by riding the train to and from London.  As she looks out the window, she makes careful observations of the scenery and takes a special interest in the new neighbors a couple of doors down from her old house; giving them fake names, (Jason and Jess) and an imaginary life that placates her own fantasies.

One morning on the train, Rachel noticed  Megan (aka Jess) outside with another man, which becomes the catalyst to a string of terrible events. (Hence the name, The Girl on the Train…) Soon there's a disappearance, and Rachel gets in over her head by not understanding the difference between being helpful and being a pest, especially in an investigation where she may be a suspect.

What saved this novel was the writing and the pace.  Hawkins knew how to get you sucked into the story, (which may come from her 15 years’ experience as a journalist) and relate to the characters on some pretty deep levels. She’s so good with conjuring emotion that I found myself steaming with frustration toward Rachel’s character.  If the story was centered on her, why not make her a strong heroine?  Why make her a pathetic alcoholic who, granted was a good person, lets her poor judgement affect her decisions?  If she was to have started off this way and then grow into a stronger, more confident person, then I would feel differently, but there was no growth in Rachel.  Yes, she was able to take down her own demons by the end but I don’t give her credit for doing so. She didn’t go searching for them to become a better person, she took them down because they were right there in her face and had no choice.

            It may not sound like it but The Girl on the Train was honestly a good, solid novel.  As I said, there are great characters (despite Rachel’s shortcomings) that are extremely real and complex, a great pace that will keep you reading to the end, and a decent twist that will leave you momentarily satisfied.  Unfortunately, compared to other thrillers I’ve read, this did not stand up to them and made me wonder if this novel should have been about a different girl on a different train.

~Shelly-Beans