Review: The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins

5 stars for The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins.

This book has been sitting on my list of to-be-read ever since last December when it secured a whopping 106,149 votes out of a total 268,373 votes cast and emerged the winner in Best Mystery & Thriller 2015, Goodreads Choice Awards - the only major book awards decided by readers.

When I finally pick up the book and decide to have a go, I surprise myself by finishing it in three days, less to be exact. It seems like a lifetime ago since I lap up a book in so short a time..

The Girl on The Train is a winner right from the start. The first person narrative draws me in subtly and before I know it, I am all tangled up in the twists and turns of the plot. I feel as if I am part of the mystery, connected in one way or another as I set off on my journey; a girl on the train, going back and forth without point or purpose, watching and observing, constructing and deconstructing the lives of strangers from within a moving train, and suddenly I discover a different world, I discover myself. I am Rachel, the narrator.

The success of this thriller lies very much in the brilliancy of the author to story pace. It is common knowledge that pacing is critical to a good story but not all authors can or are able to pull it off effectively. In this case, author Hawkins does it so seamlessly - her decision on what happens, when it happens and how quickly the events transpire - that I cannot resist but keep the pages turning and turning until I make it to the end of the tale.

I am so glad to have finish reading this book in time to catch the movie on the big screen. Yea, it is after all not too late for me to catch the train, the one that has just started running since last Thursday.


Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Publication date: 6 Jan 2015

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Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

*Blurb from author's website*

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