This book reminded me of Gone Girl, and I liked both books a lot. I am impressed that this book is Paula Hawkins' first thriller. She knows how to keep a story going, despite switching voices each chapter and going from the past to present day. I also found it interesting that I did not particularly like any of the women in the book! I certainly became more sympathetic for each of the three by the end of the book, but I couldn't find a lot to like about them as their stories were unfolding. We have the husband-stealer, who enjoyed being "the other woman" and sneaking around; we have the raving alcoholic who was obsessed with her ex-husband; and we have the cheating, unmotivated, non-working, motherless wife. Hmmm.... what's to like?? More often than not, I don't like books that only have characters that I can't connect with, or like. This book is an exception to that!
The author kept me guessing on who the murderer was. She leads the reader in one direction, and then throws in a bit of doubt, and steers you in a different direction. Whenever Rachel got creeped out by someone, so did I. Whenever Rachel trusted someone, so did I. But then she would have doubts, and so would I. I would have felt more sympathy for Rachel all along if she didn't do such crazy, questionable things - with questionable motives. It drove me crazy that she couldn't remember what happened that Saturday night! I thought it was interesting that when she went to see Kamal thinking that he had killed Megan, he actually helped her in her two sessions with him, despite her trying not to be helped at that point. Just think if she would have seen someone like him when she was going through her fertility issues and her marriage was failing. She may not have drank herself into oblivion. Then again, maybe she would have eventually anyway being married to Tom!
So I am most impressed that the author managed to have me feeling sympathetic toward all three women in the end!! Megan was ready to put herself out there and tell the truth, no matter where the chips may fall - something she had never been able to do in her life. She was finally determined to live her life openly, so she could finally live her life for herself. Anna finally realized that she was being continually manipulated, which gave her a skewed point of view about the people and events in her life - especially Rachel. And Rachel was able to understand that she had been abused and misrepresented. Yes, she made plenty of poor choices under the influence of alcohol, but the reader better understands what she had been dealing with (unknown even to her!) by the end.
I can see a movie being made from this.... ;)
Wendy's Rating: ****1/2
