The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

           'One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl...Three for a girl. I'm stuck on three, I just can't get any further. My head is thick with sounds, my mouth thick with blood. Three for a girl. I can hear the magpies - they're laughing, mocking me, a raucous cackling. A tiding. Bad tidings. I can see them now, black against the sun. Not the birds, something else. Someone is coming. Someone is speaking to me - Now look. Now look what you made me do' 
​- excerpt from The Girl on the Train

​I have not read a book this fast. One of my most unputdownable book of all times. A psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train is Paula Hawkins first novel and look at its runaway success! It sold 1 million copies in the first month of its launch and now 15 million worldwide, thanks to the movie adaptation. Incidentally, the movie is still showing in Singapore theatres.  Having found out that its on NY Times Bestseller list for 83 straight weeks, I knew I had to get a hold of this book.

​Rachel Watson travels to London in the same 8.06 commuter train. Everyday, the train rattles down the track flashing past a stretch of cosy suburban homes. When the train stops at the same red signal every morning, she gets to look into the house of a couple and their daily activities. Because her own life is in shambles as she is going through a divorce and alcohol addiction, she feels hope in the cosy perfect life of Jason and Jess (names she gives the couple).  

​One morning, Rachel sees something shocking that completely shatters the 'Jess and Jason ' image in her head. Unable to keep it to herself, she goes to the police. But her alcoholism and mental instability render her sighting as unreliable. She takes matters into her own hands and soon gets deeply entangled not only in the investigation but also in the lives of everyone involved.

​I must say I enjoyed this thriller novel tremendously. I sacrifced my naps  and my night sleep to find out who did it... and had to quieten my girls and my hubby everytime I am reading and they are creating a racket around me! It was fascinating, gripping and so very creepy. I didn't expect the build up and the conclusion, it cames as a nice twist to the story which was the reason I couldn't put it down.  Told from the prespectives of Rachel, Anna and Megan. You'll find out who they are as you go along :) Not a very thick book, it has only 323 pages and it is quite a small paperback. So you can finish it no time too!

​Available in Amazon for US$10 and in Singapore opentrolley.com.sg for S$24. Watch the movie trailer here. I hope to catch the movie one of these days.
 
https://youtu.be/KkoEE1i0CX8