Rating: 3.5 out of 5
From all the reviews I read before reading this book myself, I found extremely polarized opinions. People either are head over heels or utterly disappointed by this book. But since this was only 300 pages I thought why not try it. The hype about it being the "next Gone Girl" certainly did not help its case.
This is not the next anything. This is a new story about real yet messed up characters. The protagonist is Rachel Watson. Rachel is an alcoholic, divorced, childless, out of job woman who resides with her friend Cathy. Cathy is the only person who genuinely cares about her. Rachel is sometimes likeable, sometimes relate-able and sometimes someone you don't want to become. She knows her flaws and tries to overcome them but like most humans she succumbs to the temptations. She is the girl on the train. She knows she is at rock bottom but her problem is she is looking for a quick fix for her problems which doesn’t exist.
The plot is based in Suburban London. Rachel commutes from Cathy's house to central London everyday via Train. On her way she sees her former house where Tom, her ex husband, lives with his current wife Anna. The narration shifts between Anna, Rachel and Megan. Megan is Anna's neighbor and is married to Scott. The story revolves around Megan's disappearance and Rachel's connection with that. Anna is the other women, she is now a mother. She is over protective of her family and hates Rachel. I did not like her character at all. Megan is someone who is utterly discontent with her life. She wants more and more. She is dissatisfied with her life. Her past troubles her and her husband is not worth it. Scott is Megan's husband and not a likeable personality.
The story initially for fifty something pages drags a bit but the last hundred pages will keep you hooked to the book. In the beginning you feel bad for Rachel and you think everyone else is nice. However, as the story progresses you still feel bad for Rachel but everyone else show their true faces. My favorite part is the climax though. It is eerie and wicked. The voice in your head will be right at the end.
Hence, it is a nice engaging read and it twisted people with crappy lives is your thing then it will please you. I would advice to keep Gone Girl out of your mind while reading this.
I would like to recommend reading the book The Girl on the Train: A Novel.
ReplyDeleteI finished reading it today, and my conclusion is that its a really interesting book to read.
I ordered mine from Amazon and I got it in only 2 days.
Here is a link for the book on Amazon:
The Girl on the Train: A Novel