The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

 

This is another one that, while interesting, I didn't really care for all that much. Part of it is the writing style but I think that mostly it was because none of the characters were good people, to the point where you couldn't really care too much about any of them. Of course, part of the tale was the fact that they could overcome their weaknesses and survive, but some were sad, some pathetic, some mean, some evil, some clueless - none that you really wanted to root for.

The plot is based on what the "girl" (woman, really, but the author is female, so I guess I shouldn't nitpick) sees while passing her old home on the train. Unfortunately, she is a confirmed alcoholic known for having blackouts so no one really believes or listens to her when she claims to have information pertaining to a disappearance that turns into a murder investigation. She tries to put herself into several relationships - including her ex-husband's with his new wife and child - as she attempts to discover what happened, particularly when she realizes that she was in the vicinity when the abduction happened - she just happened to be blackout drunk at the time.

Whether drunk or sober, she pulls some ridiculous stunts that does not endear herself to any of the players, particularly the police who finds her involvement to be distracting at best, illegal at worst. But, despite it all, and despite being objectively pathetic throughout most of the story, she does unravel the truth at the end.

As with any mystery, there are plenty of twists'n'turns and some nicely unexpected bits, but something just didn't resonate with me. Not terrible, by any means, but not something that  really pulled me in.