The Girl on the Train

I seriously can't believe it took me this long to read this book! I remember watching part of the movie a long time ago but it never went further than that. I am so glad that I finally got around to reading this book because it was a knockout for me. It had all the things that a great thriller has in my opinion: a twisted plot, messed up characters doing messed up things and an exhilarating climax that brought it all together in the end. I will be recommending this book for a long time to come and Paula Hawkins has officially become one of my favorite thriller authors and I will be automatically any new books that she comes out with in the future.

To begin with, The Girl on the Train is about a woman named Rachel, who takes the same commuter train every day and passes the same row of houses day in and day out. There is a house that interests her beyond all else and she makes up the perfect life that this couple lives in this perfect house and becomes obsessed with seeing them daily. One day, she sees the lady of the house kissing another man and then a short while later it turns out that that lady is missing so she goes to the police and things transpire from there. This plot was nonstop from beginning to end and even though it was a bit of a slow burn at some points, I didn't mind a bit. I loved seeing all the characters relationships between each other and seeing how things develop. There were so many different amazing layers to this plot that I never had any idea where this novel was going and did not have a clue as to who the murderer was until the very end of the book.

Secondly, the characterization was the strongest point of the book for me. Although all the other aspects were great too, the characters were just so imperfect and messed up that it was easy to relate to their humanity and get attached to them. They were depicted as real people, going through their own life obstacles and didn't always deal with it in the best way, which made for even more realistic individuals. I loved that the book was written from different perspectives because we got to see into the psyches of almost all of the characters in this book and were able to see where all of them were coming from.

Thirdly, the writing style was superb. Not too overly simplistic and yet not too wordy and drawn out either. It was a healthy balance and got the story across beautifully. I could envision all the scenes as they were happening in the book and felt as if I was the actual character going through it. I didn't find myself having to go back and reread any parts because the writing was clear and precise the first time.

In conclusion, this book has definitely made it into my favorite thrillers of all time and I will be reading everything that Paula Hawkins will ever come out with in the future. I would recommend it to anyone who loves domestic and suspenseful thrillers as much as I do because this book has got all the stuff that makes those grand. Really glad I finally gave this book a chance!