The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

Overall rating 4/5 stars

While I haven’t revealed all the details of this book in my review, there are still spoilers, so please read with caution.

In three days, I flew through this book, and my god, it was a rollercoaster. I remember watching the movie years ago, and this year it came back to me that it was such an underrated film, and that I needed to read the book. I could only remember glimpses of the movie, and I knew the ending, but I couldn’t recall in detail what happened. So, I bought the book and started reading.

Let’s start with what this book is about. Rachel is a woman who takes the train every day to London, and each day at the same time, the train stops at the same signal. In this moment, she gazes out the window, observing the neatly arranged gardens and backyards, with houses standing in a row. She imagines a story for the couple she sees, whom she names “Jason and Jess”, envisioning their daily lives. However, as you delve into the book, you’ll discover that appearances can be deceiving, and everything begins to unfold.

It turns out Rachel used to live in one of those houses with her ex-husband, who now lives there with his new wife and daughter, the woman he cheated on Rachel with. Rachel is, in fact, an alcoholic and is portrayed as a deranged and dangerous person who believes she is the reason for her marriage's failure. She is made to look neurotic and crazy. One day, something bad happens to her favorite couple, Jason and Jess. Jess is missing, but her name is actually Megan, and Jason is Scott. What does this have to do with Rachel? Well, she saw Megan with another man in the backyard kissing, and she is sure that he is the reason she is missing. So, she inserts herself into Scott’s life. She lies her way in and wants to just do something right because she feels like she owes them that.

The night before Megan disappeared, Rachel remembered snippets of something sinister happening in the underpass at the station, but she was so drunk she couldn’t remember. The only evidence is the bruises, cut lip, and head wound. She is scared to remember, as she feels like she may have done something awful, but she needs to remember. As the story progresses, it unravels so many questions that the readers are probably worried about.

This book brought forward so many emotions because I knew the ending, and it is such a significant part of our society today. Gaslighting has been around forever, but only in recent times has it been named and used so often. Emotional abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse in domestic scenarios are serious issues today, and still, nothing is being done. To put a human through what Rachel went through is horrendous and very, very sad.

To me, there are two villains in this story—two men who truly believe that it is okay to do this to another human being, to the women they supposedly loved. Let’s take the gender out of the equation for a minute, because while people can argue that “men are horrible or women deserve it”. Which is such a prominent ideology between genders right now. Can we take a step back and just focus on a human being? To be that delusional in your mind, that you can manipulate your way around life the way the villains did, horrifies me.

I sincerely hope that, one day, the justice system will function effectively and deliver justice to those who truly deserve it. Because while this book is fiction, the story is far from it. Two men who can so easily instill fear and violence just to get their way is sickening. While this book threw me through a whirlwind of emotions, I am also glad that these topics are brought forward to enlighten those who think abuse doesn’t happen. It can occur not only within marriage but also with family, friends, and even in the workplace.

Gaslighting has become disturbingly commonplace in today's society, and it's truly alarming. If you truly loved someone, you would never make them feel the way Rachel felt. People in relationships should be able to be themselves, feel safe, and feel loved, not endure what these women had to go through. I truly feel saddened to know this happens so often, and I am extremely grateful to have a person in my life who is my protector and supporter and who loves me.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read and exceptionally well-crafted. The author particularly excelled in portraying Rachel’s dialogue during her drunken moments and brain fog, allowing readers to truly empathise with her feelings, words, and actions throughout the narrative.