Firstly let me summarise, The Girl on the train is a psychological thriller novel. It is a first person narrative told by three characters; Rachel, Anna and Megan. The story starts with Rachel Watson, she is a 32 year old self destructive alcoholic who is still living in the past. She commutes to work on a train that goes by her old home she shared with her ex husband Tom, but Rachel has been fired from work and still catches the train to hide the truth from her flat mate, incase she panics that she will no longer be able to afford the rent. Tom still lives in the house with his new family, the woman he left Rachel for, Anna.
On Rachel's commute she sees a couple she doesn't actually know, but has created their characters in her head and given them the names Jason and Jess (real names are Megan and Scott). Rachel believes them to have a perfect life but little does she know that Megan is unhappy in her marriage. One evening Rachel is drunk and rides past the house and see's Megan kiss another man, who is the therapist she is seeing called Kamal Abdic. Rachel awakens the next day to find herself covered in blood and with a headache that she may have done something, but she cannot remember. Anna calls the police on Rachel and she finds herself being interviewed by the police. Megan goes missing and Rachel feels like she is involved so she visits Scott and lies to him to get closer to him. Tom tries to find out what Rachel is up to as she makes Anna feel uneasy regarding previous actions. Megan's body is found, Scott knows she has had an affair, but there is more to the story. Megan was pregnant when she died and neither Scott or Kamal are the father...
This genre of book is my absolute favourite, I love to be so involved with a story that my opinion constantly changes as the story unfolds. I particularly like how the book is written in first person from three points of view, usually when it is just one point of view you tend to side with that person more as you feel their emotion. But, with three points of view you have three sets of emotions to try and choose between.
The story definitely did not end how I thought it would. In public transport, or just being seated somewhere public we cannot help but people watch. I, myself often find myself looking at people or families and wondering what their life is like, what they do or what their names and interests could be. To see the same people on a daily basis near somewhere you once called home must be more self indulgent, you know what they see everyday when they walk on of their front door, their views were similar to what you once saw and the people who surround them, their neighbours, were once your neighbours. I also feel like this distant stalking is a real life version of what a lot of us are guilty of virtually, on social media. Social media is just a little bit more discreet.
I think out of all the characters I connected with Rachel the most, not because I am anything like her but because her actions were reactions from the pain she feels which was caused by Tom. To know your ex husband is happily situated in your old home with his new family whilst you are unemployed and renting a room out from your friend, even though he was the one who left must hurt like no other pain. Rachel feels alone and unloved. And although her actions to Anna are uncalled for, in the long run it saves Anna from Tom, what he's really like is unveiled and they were both oblivious.
This was my favourite book of 2015 and I cannot wait to see how they will reenact it in a film!
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