Likes & Dislikes: The Girl On The Train

I had heard good things about The Girl On The Train but I was never really interested to read it. But when Amber told me how she finished this book in less than 24 hours, my spidey sense was tingling. So I downloaded the digital version and started reading. It took me about 3 days to finish it (I’m not a fast reader, except for when it comes to Dan Brown’s books). Many reviews call it “the ‘Gone Girl’ of this year”, but since I haven’t read Gone Girl (what can I say? I’m not really into grown up novels) and only watched the film, I don’t think they’re comparable. But that’s just me.

Anyway…

The story itself is about a woman, Rachel, who takes the same train everyday, in the morning and in the evening. She becomes familiar with a couple who lives near the railway; she even gives them name inside her head. One day, the woman who lives in that house goes missing for days and on the day she was last seen, Rachel saw something that might be an important clue about the woman’s whereabouts. So Rachel goes to the police. But turns out Rachel is not a reliable witness. She is an alcoholic who constantly blacks out and has no memory of hours in her life. She also used to live a few doors next to the missing woman, where her ex-husband lives with his new wife and their little daughter. And turns out that the truth is so much close to Rachel’s life.

• As a commuter myself, I enjoy Rachel’s description of the train and her everyday journey.
• The whole idea of getting used to seeing a couple of strangers’ life is intriguing. I also like looking at people around me in public places and wondering what they’re going through (does it make me a creep?)
• It’s a page turner. It makes me want to read more.
• I have a personal experience regarding cheating and secret lover and such, so I enjoy reading the whole story between Rachel, her ex-husband, and his new wife. I understand their relationship; something I might not do if I didn’t have the experience.

• I don’t really like Rachel. It’s frustating to see her keep coming back to drinking. I have no sympathy for her at all for that reason.
• Rachel is too creepy. I understand the detectives’ suspicion towards her. She is a stranger to the missing woman and her husband, but she knows so much. She knows too much. She even has the guts to go directly to the missing woman’s husband. Gees…
• Helpless people. Helpless people everywhere.
• It’s too slow paced for me.
• About third quarter to the story, it becomes easy to guess the ending. The thrill and suspense that has been built since the beginning goes away just like that.

I’d give The Girl On The Train 2 out of 5 stars for those factors. I only enjoy several parts of the story, but the whole book is not really my thing.

Have you read this book? What do you think about it?