The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a study of gaslighting (manipulating someone
to question their own reality, memory, or perceptions). Both the victims and
the reader fall under the spell. Rachel is the
girl on the train who observes two
houses on her commute. Twenty-three Blenheim Road houses her ex-husband Tom and
his new wife Anna and their daughter Evie. Before the divorce, Rachel lived in
this house with Tom. The other house is fifteen Blenheim Road where Scott and
his wife Megan lived before Megan disappeared. What happened to Megan?The third man is a therapist, Kamal
Abdic. Before Megan disappears, she goes to Kamal for marriage counseling and
other problems. After Megan disappears, Rachel goes to him for counseling about
her issues around the divorce and her brother Ben who died young in a
motorcycle accident.
Rachel is an alcoholic. Much of the mystery is hidden behind her blackout drunk episode on the evening Megan disappeared. In addition to Rachel’s drinking problem and her brother’s sudden death, she also could not get pregnant.
This is a story about sex and violence. The men are sexual predators and violent, while the women are promiscuous. The characters are well written but placed in stereotypical roles.
A marvelously constructed and written story of murder and abuse.
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