Critical Review: "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Quick Summary

Type: Novel

Genre: Contemporary, thriller

Back Cover: "Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. 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 goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?"

Read Time: 3 days

Rating: 2 stars

Review

It took a long time to get to the actual mystery of the story. So already, I was annoyed. On top of that, the premise was already pretty shaky. A woman witnesses entire scenes of life from a train? How? I've been on trains, including regional trains in both France and England, and the trains were going too fast for me to really see anything. And at stops, the surrounding scenery is kind of dominated by the train station. So how in the hell is this alcoholic main character seeing all of this and seeing enough detail to be able to recognize people? And why in the hell is she insinuating herself into this investigation based on things she maybe has seen for a second?

And yet, for the story to progress, of course she has to be right about what she sees, which is ridiculously unrealistic.

And naturally, the murder has to involve her abusive, gaslighting ex-husband and her ex-husband's affair partner who has the most drastic character swing I've ever seen. Seriously, one second the affair partner is about to call the police on the main character, and the next she's murdering the abuser? And coming up with a defense on the spot for the both of them so they can both get away with murder? I mean, yeah, the guy deserved it, but he also deserved prison.

Honestly, the movie was better. I should not have read this book. Saying that the book is always better than the movie is a bold-faced lie I wish people didn't sell.