The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
This is the second book I’ve read that’s been described as being similar to GONE GIRL, but this one actually comes pretty close. It starts with Rachel Watson, an unemployed alcoholic who is maintaining the illusion of a normal life by continuing to commute daily to London. Every day she looks at the perfect couple in their perfect little house, just a few houses down from where Rachel once shared her own perfect life with Tom.
Except none of them are perfect. Tom cheated on Rachel with Anna, and is now married to her. The perfect “Jess” cheats on “Jason” her husband, and it turns out not only is she not Jess (she’s Meg) but “Jason” (Scott) may have murdered her.
Rachel does a lot of horrible things, partly because of her alcoholism and partly because of her inability to get over Anna destroying Rachel’s marriage to Tom. She can’t stop calling Tom, and the only thing that seems to let her break away from her sad story is the idea that she might be able to help find Meg’s real killer.
Rachel gets further involved with Tom and Anna, gets involved with Scott, and even gets involved with Meg (the dead girl)’s therapist. She vacillates between pathetic and sympathy-inducing as she tries, and fails, and tries again to sort her life out.
I got the audiobook, narrated by three different women. The actress who does Rachel is good, but the actress who does Meg has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard, especially when she does the Bosnian accent of Kumar Abditch. Chapters alternate between the three women, unfolding the story of what happened with great pacing.
This novel has everything I could hope for in a psychological thriller, and even though it’s only January, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was my favorite book all year.
2 comments
I really enjoyed listening to this book but I’m confused as to why the voice of Kumar Abditch was Bosnian to Megan and yet English to Rachel.
Author
I know! That bothered me too. He was mentioned as Bosnian. I think the second actor just took a different take on the matter. Disappointing. I loved Kumar Abditch when Meg’s actor voiced him.