Book Review: Girl on a Train

Firstly do not confuse this book with the bestseller The Girl on the Train. It is definitely not that book. They were first published the same month so looks like the similarities it is just conincidental but I’m sure the confusion has boosted sales!

So what goes on in this book - let’s find out...

Journalist Anna’s journey is delayed when a woman steps in front of her train at a level crossing. Anna is shaken when she discovers it was the odd passenger, Elly Swift, who sat next to her for most of the journey and rushed off the train shortly before committing suicide. But Anna isn’t convinced. Her odd behaviour suggested she was scared and when Anna discovers a locket in her handbag she is convinced Elly put it there as a clue. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery Anna takes it upon herself to investigate and find out what really happened to Elly that day at the level crossing and why.

In short Girl on a Train is far fetched and completely unbelievable. Now I’m first to admit often mystery books are and you need to suspend your belief to enjoy the book, which I guess is part of what makes it escapism. This however was just ridiculous. The ‘clues’ left by Elly were thin to the point of stupid and the mental leaps Anna makes to connect the dots laughable or just bizarre. Plus throw in the fact that Ely’s story connects with Anna’s past you shake your head in disbelief.

At no point did I feel pulled along by the search and in fact purely plodded along just to get to the end - which was 435 pages too far away. The shift in timeframe was also odd. We start in the present with Anna then switch to the past with Elly then back to the present but we the reader now know more that Anna so we have to read through her playing catch up.

I probably enjoyed the last few chapters the most because I genuinely had no idea who killed Elly and the reveal was a good twist but I don’t think the ending can redeem this long, drawn out novel. It’s 5hrs of my life I’ll never get back.