Summer Reading #21

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I have been contemplating this one for a while. Everyone told me it was good. A lot of people were comparing it to Gone Girl (no comparison, by the way). So, I finally got around to it.

Rachel is a drunk. There's no other way to put that fact. It's a large part of why her husband cheated on her, or so he says. She tends to black out when she drinks, and doesn't remember what happens. She is unemployed because of her drunkenness. Despite this, she still goes into London every day on the 8:04 train. It takes her right by the house she lived in with her husband, Tom. It also takes her by another house, one where she can see the inhabitants, and they look happy-at least from the window of the train. Then something happens to the woman in the house. She goes missing, and Rachel thinks she can help with the investigation because she has seen something from the train.

Megan is the woman Rachel sees from the train. She's had a bit of a messed up life. She is married to Scott, but she seems unfulfilled. She sees other men in an effort to find fulfillment, but comes up empty handed on that front. One night she goes missing, and Scott is a suspect. Rachel doesn't think Scott did anything to Megan, based on the fantasy life she has created for them passing by them on the train.

Anna is the woman that took Rachel's place. Tom had an affair with her, then married her after divorcing Rachel. She is convinced Rachel is crazy, as Rachel keeps showing up at their house, calling, emailing, and once tried to take their daughter. Anna just wants Rachel to leave them alone.

This book is primarily about these three women and how their lives are connected. There are some interesting twists, and it took me until the 83% mark to figure out who was responsible for Megan's fate. It was nice to see that I was correct. This was a quick read, and one you won't want to put down.