I refused to watch The Girl on the Train movie adaption until I read the book (which is actually an ongoing rule of mine: I don’t get to see the movie until I read the book). So, as you probably guessed, I bought The Girl on the Train novel and got started.
I will start by saying this: the overall plot of the book had serious potential.
I love the idea of a woman forgetting that she saw a crime, even considers herself a suspect at one point, and struggles to put the pieces back together. Then, at the end, she realizes it’s the crappy ex-boyfriend that left her a while back and she gets her revenge that is long overdue.
That being said, I absolutely despised the main character.
I watched the movie after and am a huge Emily Blunt fan, so I liked the screen character more than the book. Nonetheless, having an alcoholic as your narrator (unreliable narrator) throughout the whole story is incredibly annoying. Every time she drinks, she suffers from black outs and can’t remember who she saw, what she did, or what she said. Multiple times I had to put the book down out of sheer frustration.
It was like I was teaching someone to drive: just as we are getting somewhere, they slam on the breaks and we come to a halt.
The story is similar: just as she starts to find answers, she starts drinking and forgets everything. It’s like putting a puzzle together but your dog ate ten pieces.
Not to mention the fact that the main character creeped on the victim (prior to her death, obviously) from the train which was also mildly concerning. Then she goes and inserts herself in the investigation. Additionally, practically every other character in the book dislikes the main character, which also makes it difficult to be her fan.
To sum it all up, I really liked the story itself—it had surprises and mystery, with a big twist at the end. However, it’s hard to say I love a book when I strongly dislike the main character. Either way, if you’re in the mood for a good mystery story from a great writer, this book would be right up your alley. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though: you will want to shut the book multiple times and take breaks while you’re reading just to get away from the main character.
One final note: I read Into the Water by Paula Hawkins and it was amazing. I thought I had the book figured out until literally the last sentence. So good!
Image Courtesy of The Book Smugglers
Books and Bites with Brooke 