The Girl on the Train- A book Review

I just completed my latest read “The Girl on the train” by Paula Hawkins. Since my younger days I was always fond of reading thrillers and adventures. Nancy Drew, The Famous Five being my favorites. Hence as expected the idea of reading this one had thrilled me in the first place. And then when I went through its review and knew of its popularity, I was sure that I was heading to some good thrill.

Rachel the main protagonist or rather one of the main protagonists is a compulsive drunkard. She is a regular commuter of trains, which is an integral part of her life. Every day the train speeds past some suburban homes and the inmates of those are a part of her defeated life. At least she thinks so. Until the turn of events actually make her one. She watches an evidently perfect couple everyday but one fine day she discovers the imperfections and soon the lady goes missing. And Rachel eventually gets entangled in the un-nerving mystery of missing Megan, only to find darker to darkest secrets. The tale is narrated by the female characters and their point of views. Rachel, Anna and Megan are very different. They have very different lives with very different thoughts. But are they really so or there is an unknown, uncanny resemblance in their life journeys? Are they all riding the same boat and deceived by the same shadow of goodness and attractiveness? That the novel will tell you, when you read it. Disclosing more for a thriller, will be injustice to the creator and the creation.

The novel is beautifully written and the plot slowly grows on you. No wonder it is a best seller. The twists and turns are intriguing and complicated at times. While the readers take ride to solving the puzzle, he is also treated with an emotional, romantic saga. The soft, palpable emotions of human. Real, extreme and vulnerable ones. Overall it is a must read for the people who love to be trilled and remain haunted for a couple of days after finishing the read. As a reader I really enjoyed the experience.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta