I’m usually too overstimulated by life in general to enjoy thrillers. I can’t turn them off. So, with a wee bit of trepidation, I started The Girl on the Train on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I settled in my comfy chair under the umbrella on my deck with a cold, bubbly… seltzer in my hand.
The bare bones summary is this: a woman, Megan, a self-identified drunkard, rides the train to and from London city center every day. The train always pauses at the same row of houses. Megan creates a narrative about the people she sees from the train. But it turns out, this row of houses was Megan’s prior address, before her massive drinking problem, before her divorce. She is obsessed with these people. One of them disappears and Megan decides to interfere in the situation, with increasingly alarming results.
The story jumps from narrator to narrator and past to present, but Megan is the primary storyteller and the story generally unfolds in the present, although at first it’s all a bit confusing - purposely so, I believe. The story grows increasingly compelling and dangerous, but Megan is obsessed and can’t let it go.
The ending ultimately “solves” the intrigue in a very tidy manner, perhaps a bit too tidy? The Girl on the Train is a stimulating tale of suspense. If you like a messier ending, you won’t be happy with this one.
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