Book Review: The Girl on the Train

Title: The Girl on the Train
Author: Paula Hawkins
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Fiction, Thriller

Plot Summary: Every single day, a struggling commuter catches the exact same morning train. She watches the routine of a seemingly perfect couple living in a house along the tracks. One day, she catches a shocking glimpse of something disturbing happening outside the window just before the woman goes missing. Determined to uncover the truth despite her own unreliable memory and blackouts, she entangles herself in the police investigation. This sets off a chain reaction of revelations that will forever alter the lives of everyone touched by the mystery.

Review: I unfortunately accidentally spoiled myself on a major (and only) plot twist. Hence, I couldn’t give a pure impression of the book. Even so, it was spellbinding in the way it kept me turning the pages, despite knowing the main mystery well before the reader is intended to. I kept hoping there’d be more twists around the corner. Upon completing the book, however, I failed to understand what the actual intention behind the novel is. Is it meant to entertain? If so, I would need more clever twists to fulfill that requirement. Is it meant to inform? Perhaps, because the culprit in this story is the textbook definition of gaslighting. Overall, I’m disappointed the plot isn’t as intriguing as the premise promised.

Rating: 3/5