Audio Book Review ‘Girl On The Train’ by Paula Hawkins

The top-selling psychological thriller for 2015 is none other than Paula Hawkins’  The Girl on the Train. In a genre historically dominated by men Paula Hawkins among other notable female writers are moving in and they are not sitting at the back of the train.

Personally, I love this book. The suspense is spellbinding, but it is the magnificently synthesized psychological dysfunction of the cast that is oddly addictive. I am not too embarrassed to admit that over the summer I listened to the complete audio version three times. And, for those of you still wondering; it is more thrilling than Gone Girl.

The story surrounds around the somewhat serendipitous entwined lives of five people, three of them are women. The characters are distinct, and although they all exhibit symptoms of bipolar illness, Paula Hawkins absolutely keeps the manifestation of the circumstance unambiguous and less confusing by giving the women separate chapters to tell their story. The audio version exemplifies their uniqueness by using three different female voice actresses to read the story. The result is excellent entertainment.

The dark story exposes a familiar theme we identify with in our own humdrum lives.  The mass infatuation with The Girl on the Train stems from a similar façade that we have all witnessed by a friend, neighbor, or family member. Paula Hawkins exposes a person or persons we all know that tries all too hard to make their lives seem perfect, but the moment the false front falls what we see is a dark dysfunctional and all too disturbing reality.

 The book’s success is proof positive; we love the emotions the story conjures. 

Review by Sammy Sutton