The Girl on the Train is Right on Track

Out of her three fiction works, Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train is the most recent. Published in 2015, this book has been the most popular of her works, especially since the movie was just released. This psychological thriller is the reason Hawkins won the Glamour Award for Writer in 2015.

The Girl on the Train is intended for more mature audiences due to the dominant presence of drinking, violence, and sex.

The title itself is as intriguing as the book. Who is the girl on the train? Why is she on the train? The cover completely brings the title to action. The motion blurred landscape with the title written so that the letters look as they have been shifted really puts the viewer with the girl on the train.

Rachel, a divorced woman in her thirties with an alcohol problem, travels on the same commuter train every day, from home to London, and London to home. Everyday, the train comes to a stop in front of a row of houses, one of which used to be hers. But another house stands out to Rachel as well: the home of the “perfect couple,” “Jess” and “Jason.” (Their real names are Megan and Scott.)

One day Rachel sees something from the train that shocks her, and the audience as well. It could be the biggest clue in the mystery of Megan’s disappearance. But will anyone believe Rachel?

This novel has so many twists and turns that, as a reader, one probably will not figure out who the actual culprit is until Hawkins begins to reveal the truth. The novel is written in such a way that a reader is forced to believe what Hawkins is implying in her writing.

If you’re anything like me, you will be so enthralled with the mystery that you won’t be able to let go of the book until you know for sure who did it.

I will not tell you who did it, but if you want a tip on how to figure it out, I’m here. The key is to suspect the unsuspected.

The audience may also want to be careful of what the date is. Confused? Let me explain. The Girl on the Train is not written in a completely chronological order. There are many flashbacks, and as a reader, you have to pay attention to that. Otherwise, you’re going to end up a little confused like me.

I highly encourage all readers, avid or not avid, to read The Girl on the Train because it is simply amazing. Do not watch the movie before reading the book. Seriously. I haven’t watched the movie yet, but from past experience, I can surely say that the book is always better than the movie.