A review by chronosunflower
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

4.0

It was a nice, intriguing lecture. I've been wanting to read the book ever since the movie adaptation came out, and I finally got to immerse myself into the original story after months since I have watched the film in the cinema theatre. The feeling of mystery remained strong throughout the story, and the unreliable narrator transformed the guessing game into a difficult task. The book keeps close to reality, describing the life of a troubled person with great accuracy. The author didn't shy away from showing the misery of her characters, she didn't shy away from making them curse, drink, or cheat. She didn't pull away from showing the true nature of their minds, the horrible thoughts that someone may have, thoughts that sprout from jealousy, sorrow, or anger.
The mere idea that a simple commuter can become so involved into such an event is more than palpitating. It did make me wonder how it would be to witness something so shocking that I felt the need to immerse myself into the lives of other people. I have always been a fan of mysteries, of thrillers in which a crime occurs and the identity of the murderer is unknown, of the way the clues just merged together like a puzzle, leading to the big (but unexpected) reveal. I can't help but feel a tingle of excitement whenever a book or a film of this sort gets released, because I want to know. I want to immerse myself into the story. I want to suspect, I want to analyze, I want to find out. I have to thank Paula Hawkins for offering me such an experience, I was not disappointed at all. Great work!