GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins

by TPS reader mcanallya20

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is about a girl named Rachel Watson, whose husband recently divorced her. Rachel is depressed about her divorce, and she is obsessed with Tom, her ex husband, and his new wife. Rachel is often drunk because of her divorce. She also lost her job, but she takes the train to where she used to work, so her family and friends still think she works there. One day on the train, Rachel sees a woman named Megan Hipwell with a mysterious man who isn’t her husband, but she can’t remember anything else because she was drunk. Rachel thinks Megan Hipwell has a perfect life and cannot understand why she would cheat on her husband. Rachel soon finds out that Megan is missing, and Rachel struggles to remember something about that night. Megan’s body is eventually found in the woods. The book is centered around Rachel trying to find out who killed Megan Hipwell.

The book is a little slow in the beginning, but once I got into the book, I couldn’t put it down. Near the end, you find out Megan’s secrets that lead to her death. The reader also sees other characters’ personalities develop throughout the book including Anna, Tom’s new wife, and Rachel. Rachel’s obsession with discovering what happened to Megan allows her to become sober and move on in her life. The book is also written in different points of view, which helps the reader understand character’s actions. Even though most characters have flaws, they are relatable. None of them have an easy life even though on the surface their lives seem perfect, which makes the book so interesting. Overall, The Girl on the Train was an fascinating murder book.