Book Review // The Girl On The Train

I didn't have much time to read back in Nottingham but I decided (stupidly) to take on the challenge of reading the first Game of Thrones book because I loved the TV series so much. I thought I was ready to take on the first of seven books the size of Mount Everest, but clearly I wasn't and didn't even make it half way through the first book. I think after watching the show and then reading the books I knew what story lines to expect and reading it almost became a chore and I didn't look forward to sitting down at night with a book. I do hate giving up on books but reading should be fun and, for me, it is an escape to dive in to other stories and get hooked on characters lives.

So I decided to start reading The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I've had this book tucked away in my room since my Mum brought it for me for my birthday back in June and knew it would be a perfect companion for my commutes to work. I have wanted to read this book since it was released and have read and heard many good reviews surrounding the story and read only one bad review just before I picked it up, which I tried to block out so I could come to my own conclusion.

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she's only watched from afar. Now they'll see; she's much more than just the girl on the train...

During the commutes to work I dived in to this book with such eagerness and really enjoyed reading the story as it developed and getting to know the characters. Hawkins has written the book with each female character having a chapter which allows you to connect with them and their side of the story because, what I found interesting, is she gave each character a slight slant in the way she wrote their way of communicating their side of the story to you. The book was written like a diary with each day being broken up in to morning and evening which ultimately made up the chapters. And when reading each characters story in my head I felt like I was drawn to Rachel, then "Jess", then Anna, then Tom and "Jason" and back again. Due to the characteristic style of writing each persons perspective of events resulted in me liking a character in one chapter and then disliking them in another. It was written in such a way that I had a true image of the characters looks and emotions and the scenes as I read them in my mind. I love it when a book comes alive in your head as it makes it that more enjoyable. With Rachel being the main character you spend more time reading her side of the story and I went through feeling a range of emotions towards her from feeling sympathetic, anger and annoyance. She got so involved in a life that was deeply embedded in her mind which led to her actions having complicated consequences.

I have tried not to read other peoples reviews on the Waterstones or Amazon websites since finishing the book so I could work out how I truly felt about the story as a whole and that ending! Firstly, I think it was gripping as the chapters would be ended with myself asking so many questions about that character or scenario that I needed answering and sometimes wouldn't be answered for at least another chapter or two. This kept it exciting and enjoyable but with a sense of mystery that kept me guessing what was coming next. Lies, secrets, fantasy and mystery are what themes defined this book in my opinion and, with such a combination, you want to join in on the game and try to become detective as you read each chapter.

Without giving away too much of the story and the ending, I was very surprised with how it was finished. It is hard to discuss it in a lot of detail incase some of you reading this haven't read it, but all really wasn't as it seemed and who I thought was "the one who did it" (you'll understand what that means if you read it) was not. I felt the ending could have been different somehow but I was still relatively happy, yet felt relationships with the characters were tied up quickly. However, I am not a writer and it may be the case that Hawkins did not want to drag anything out. Overall, I recommend reading this book if you like a bit of a mysterious character or story, a build up of plot twists and character written chapters.

Have you read the book? What did you think?

- Speak soon, LJ X

P.S. I did try and take my own image for the blog but still suck at using my DSLR and am too poorly to attempt taking another. Credit due to House of Hipsters for the image and I enjoyed your review of the book!