Starting off as what seems to be ramblings, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN grows to an obsession you can’t tear yourself away from until you have all the answers.It’s been said, if you’re a Hitchcock fan you don’t want to miss this debut novel. I agree, but add that you should listen to the audio format to get a true Hitchcock experience.
The story is read by three narrators - Clare Curbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher. Each does the voice of one of the three main characters – Rachel, Megan (aka Jess) and Anna. I’m not sure which narrator does which character, but all three do a superb job in their delivery. Their varied pacing and inflection matches the tension and suspense of the story. They each bring out the depth of emotions in the main characters, as well as the secondary characters. Through their mannerisms, they bring the characters to life in vivid detail for the listener.
This is a psychological thriller dealing with the lives of three women and how they intertwine in a most unusual way.
Rachel, a lonely alcoholic, takes the same commuter train twice a day. It stops at the same signal every day near the home she used to share with her ex-husband. Rather than looking at her old house where her ex, his new wife and new baby girl live, Rachel watches the young couple that lives a few houses down the lane. She sees them living the perfect life she should have had with her ex-husband. She calls them Jess and Jason. One day as Rachel looks for Jess and Jason, she sees another man with Jess and they are kissing. Furious, Rachel can’t believe Jess is destroying her perfect life. Soon afterwards, Rachel learns the woman has disappeared.
Obsessed to help the man she calls Jason, Rachel decides to tell the police about the man she saw kissing Jess. From the news she learns the couple’s real names are Scott and Megan Hipwell. Because of Rachel’s alcohol problem, the police don’t consider her credible. Mixed with the stories her ex-husband’s new wife, Anna, is spreading and her blackout periods, Rachel begins to wonder what really happened to Megan/Jess.
Meanwhile, Megan’s story begins to unfold and dark secrets are revealed. In addition, Anna is upset that Rachel continues to call her ex-husband and comes by their house from time to time. Rachel has entangled herself in the other women’s lives and danger lurks around every corner. What really happens when she blacks out from too much alcohol?
Author Paula Hawkins has crafted fascinating characters that take you on a suspenseful adventure. The twists and turns will keep you in the dark until the bombshell ending. Just as you think you have it figured out, Hawkins throws you for a loop. Seemingly strangers become like domino-effects as the search for the missing woman progresses.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN has the flavor of a Hitchcock story, but so much more. I started off thinking I wouldn’t be able to listen to the entire story and ended up I couldn’t stop listening to it. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say if you pass the same places everyday on your way to work, you may just look at them different after listening to this mesmerizing tale. Filled with mystery, suspense, intrigue, dark secrets, jealousy, and troubled souls, this is a story you won’t soon forget.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins; Narrated by Clare Curbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher, Penguin Audio, @2015, ISBN: 978-1611763737, Unabridged, 9 Discs, Run Time: 11 Hours
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.
Hope your Monday is going well and you’re not snowed (or iced) in with the blizzard hitting parts of the US. Are you a Hitchcock fan? What’s your favorite Hitchcock movie? Have you ever made a connection with someone you saw everyday on your way to work without ever really talking to them? Thanks so much for stopping by today. Hope I’ve enticed you check out THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, especially the audio version – it’s amazing.
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You have definitely enticed me to check it out. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child, I'm so glad. If it starts off slow for you, just give it time. It's well worth it.
DeleteThree narrators for the the three main characters - that's brilliant. It would really bring the story to life.
ReplyDeleteAlex, the three narrators do a wonderful job and it does bring the story to life in a total different way.
DeleteMason - I keep hearing good things about this one! It does sound like an intriguing story. And I can see why you think it's even better in audio format.
ReplyDeleteMargot, the audio format to me just enhances the story that much more. I guess it makes it seem more like a movie than it would if I just read the book.
DeleteI don't think I've ever listened to an audio book with more than one narrator.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't get any ice, just cold weather.
Diane, it is unusual to have more than one narrator but in this case it was a great decision. Glad y'all didn't get any ice. We just had the cold too.
DeleteThis sounds intense. A great idea to develop a story on.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Ann, the more you get into the story the more intense it gets.
DeleteYou can be better than being similar to Hitchcock. And I'm interested in how they put together the voice actors. Very interested.
ReplyDeleteLee, the voice actors really enhanced the story for me. They each did a great job.
DeleteI was a lucky recipient of an advance copy of this and cannot say enough about it! Like you, Mason, I found it a little off-putting in the very beginning, but became mesmerized and entrenched and could not put it down!
ReplyDeleteKaye, I know what you mean about the off-putting at first. It was funny because I thought I'm not going to listen anymore and I couldn't help myself, I'd have to let it play a little longer and a little longer until I was hooked. In all honesty, I was hooked at the beginning and just didn't realize it. :) It is mesmerizing.
DeleteI was wondering if this book was like the Strangers on a Train Hitchcock film. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteClarissa, it's not like the film in that two people plot a murder. But it is like the film in how the suspense plays out keeping you wondering. I didn't see the ending coming until right before it happened and even then there was still a bit of surprise mixed in.
DeleteI read this, too. I think Riverhead, the publisher, is doing a great marketing job for this book, right down to its very clever cover. But, after all this hype, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN disappointed me. While it will kept my attention, it wasn't as unputdownable as claimed until the last couple of chapters. It wasn't for me.
ReplyDeleteRachel is just a raging alcoholic who has opinions about people that are often based on nothing and are always wrong. The entire book is about her alcoholic blackouts and figuring out what really happened.
Some things about this book are aggravating. For instance, during tense moments, characters, especially Rachel, bite their lips, often so hard they draw blood. I could just imagine all the people walking around with bloody mouths they had chewed.
The biggest aggravation is difficult to describe without saying too much and spoiling the story. It has to do with how everything is explained in the end. That kind of ending is too easy.
Yet, even considering these and other faults, the book did keep my attention more than a lot of books.