Summary of the meeting
A few weeks ago (sorry for the delay), we met to discuss The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, an intrigue novel that goes much beyond the simple who-killed-her novel. The main character, Rachel, is a young woman whose life has gone to shambles after her husband left her for another woman. She is obsessed with her former life, that now seems far away, and has fallen into alcoholism that fogs her memory, or this is what we think, because her memory has always been fogged. Slowly, we learn about her life and how her ex treated her. He seems like a caring man that just fell in love with another woman, but he is not to be trusted. Although Rachel doesn’t seem to realise this so easily.
Alongside her, there are another two narrators, the new wife of Rachel’s ex, Anna, and the girl that has disappeared, Megan. The latter talks to us from the past, but Anna is in the present with Rachel and counterpoints her opinions, her views, and gives us the other side of the story. In the end, though, they align and see “the truth”.
We had an interesting discussion and discussed the effects of alcohol in someone’s mind, but also how memories can be modified, reinforced by the lies of others. Rachel is a victim, not only of herself, but also of her ex, who has manipulated her for a very long time, as he has done with Megan and is already starting to do with Anna.
It is a novel about blame, guilt and betrayal seen from many angles, with some twists and bending of the information they share with us.
We gave the book an 9/10.
Film adaptation
There is a film adaptation set in New York and directed by Tate Taylor, with:
- Emily Blunt as Rachel Watson,
- Rebecca Ferguson as Anna Watson,
- Haley Bennett as Megan Hipwell,
- Justin Theroux as Tom Watson, and
- Luke Evans as Scott Hipwell.
It is available on Netflix.
At the BookClub…
… we have not read books that deal with substance abuse, but we have read some intrigue books, such as The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, but this year we have read a few with characters that lie, betray and abuse others: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Bad Magic by AM Stirling.
Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins, born in Zimbabwe and living in London, is a British author celebrated for her gripping psychological thrillers. Her breakthrough novel, The Girl on the Train, became a global phenomenon, captivating readers with its suspenseful plot and complex characters. Before her literary success, Hawkins worked as a journalist for notable publications. Her subsequent novel, Into the Water, published in 2017, further solidified her reputation as a master of the genre, exploring themes of memory and identity against the backdrop of a small English town. Hawkins’ work continues to resonate with readers worldwide, earning her widespread acclaim and cementing her status as a leading figure in contemporary fiction.
Next book
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Four mothers, four daughters, four families, whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who’s telling the stories. In 1949, four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, meet weekly to play mahjong and tell stories of what they left behind in China. United in loss and new hope for their daughters’ futures, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Their daughters, who have never heard these stories, think their mothers’ advice is irrelevant to their modern American lives – until their own inner crises reveal how much they’ve unknowingly inherited of their mothers’ pasts.
With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives of complexity and mystery.
Friday, May 10 at 6:00 pm
at Biblioteca Ventura Gassol, Calafell
Quotes
That’s the problem with drinking, I thought, as I poured myself a drink. If something bad happens you drink in an attempt to forget; if something good happens you drink in order to celebrate; and if nothing happens you drink to make something happen.
Charles Bukowski, Women
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