The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

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"The Girl on the Train" is the first thriller I have ever read in English. I don't usually read books of this genre, however, the novel was gifted to me by my dear family and I thought I had to read it. I have also heard great things about it and therefore wanted to give it a try. And so I did. Here comes my personal review:

Rachel Watson is an alcoholic. Her ex-husband, Tom, left her for another woman, Anna, whom he had an affair with while the two were still married. It is safe to say that Rachel is now troubled. As she takes the same train every day, she comes across the exact same house in which a man and woman live. Rachel observes this presumably perfect couple and has done it for quite some time. She has even made up names for them and imagines what they do for a living. However, one day something mysterious occurs and Rachel has a chance of getting involved. Although she only ends up in trouble and is shocked by the devastating truth.

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This novel was definitely not what I expected. I thought it would be fast-paced and thrilling. However, it was very tedious. Honestly, I was so close to giving up on it many times because it was just that boring. Hawkins was probably trying to build up some kind of tension, but it came too late and slow (for me). The ending did not help either. It was just too ridiculous to me. I must admit that I got excited at some points. I had a lot of questions and I was happy when they were answered, but still. This is not a favourite novel of mine. Not my cup of tea at all. I don't even have that much to say about it. Although it was interesting to read the story from so many different points-of-views. The novel gives an excellent view of what it's like to be an alcoholic and what loneliness feels like. So I must give Hawkins some credit for that.

Other than that, I couldn't help but feel bad for Rachel because something terrible and so cliché happens to her. She can't have children which makes her depressed and trouble arises between her and her husband. The both of them find happiness somewhere else. Rachel starts drinking and Tom has an affair. This isn't even anything new. This happens way too often. Tom ends up marrying his mistress and they have a child together which only hurts Rachel even more because that is the thing she wanted the most. Now she has lost everything. How miserable can she be? What has happened to Rachel is awful and it happens to so many men and women across the world. The novel made me reflect on all these failed relationships. If there is anything I hate it's adultery. I just don't understand how someone can cheat on a person that loves you. It's heartbreaking and just awful. It is something that I will never understand. Therefore, the novel also deals with cheating, lying and secrets. The characters all have something to hide. They all have burdens and Hawkins teaches us what happens when our secrets are too dark and burdens too heavy for us to bear. In the end, all secrets are revealed. Moreover, our burdens can be so heavy that they end up being the end of us. 

Paula Hawkins, Doubleday, 316 pages, 2015

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