The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
With such a huge build-up, I have to admit I was disappointed by The Girl on the Train. A thriller told by an unreliable narrator has every opportunity to be shocking and original, but this one felt like it was written alongside a guidebook: “How to get the readers’ attention”. Written in alternating sections (the morning and evening train rides), it starts every chapter with a paragraph of first person writing. “I feel terrible.” “I can’t believe what I’ve done.” “I’m drunk again.” A short description designed to grab the readers’ attention without giving them any information. Then, the rest of the chapter is written in past tense, explaining what has happened. Finally, a concluding paragraph ends the chapter in present tense, to keep up the sense of “urgency.” The many sections of the book jump backward and forward in time and are also split up into points-of-view of two other women involved.
Since the main first-person narrator is an alcoholic, she sometimes lapses into stupors or blackouts or wakes up with spotty memories of the night before. But the “surprises” get old fast, and it gets very tiresome to be forced to root for someone depressed, lazy, without drive, selfish, obsessive, and stupid. Along the way, to trick the readers into thinking the book is exciting, there are spurts of brief sex scenes and intense violence outbursts.
I have a feeling The Girl on the Train was supposed to be a feminist milestone. A way of saying, “So what that you’re an alcoholic and make the worst possible decisions constantly? You’re a woman and have the power to do anything! You can turn the world on its ear and stand up for yourself in any terrible situation, even though everything previously written in your character points to the contrary.” Uneven, uninspired, predictable, and cheap, this wasn’t the thriller I had in mind.
Since the main first-person narrator is an alcoholic, she sometimes lapses into stupors or blackouts or wakes up with spotty memories of the night before. But the “surprises” get old fast, and it gets very tiresome to be forced to root for someone depressed, lazy, without drive, selfish, obsessive, and stupid. Along the way, to trick the readers into thinking the book is exciting, there are spurts of brief sex scenes and intense violence outbursts.
I have a feeling The Girl on the Train was supposed to be a feminist milestone. A way of saying, “So what that you’re an alcoholic and make the worst possible decisions constantly? You’re a woman and have the power to do anything! You can turn the world on its ear and stand up for yourself in any terrible situation, even though everything previously written in your character points to the contrary.” Uneven, uninspired, predictable, and cheap, this wasn’t the thriller I had in mind.