Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train or Into the Water?
Women, murders, and secrets!
Paula Hawkins is a British author known for creating mysterious characters and settings. She smears little hints and clues throughout her prose and skillfully builds suspense to shape a thriller that keeps its readers on the edge of their seats.
Now, as an ardent reader of thriller, I dived in, read the books; The Girl on the Train and Into the Water, and realized why people often compare them.
Both her books were best-sellers; however, The Girl on the Train was a massive success turned into a movie. And Into the Water did pretty well among readers, but it contains some sturdy nays.
The author has set the plots of books mainly around women, which was another reason I wanted to read them.
And so, I thought to share my two cents on how I feel about them and where they stand. I hope the reviews help you figure out the books better.
Plot Summary: The girl on the Train
The Girl on the Train is about women being abused, cheated on, and killed. The author opens the plot with Rachel, a divorced and alcoholic woman who commutes to and from London. She takes the train to show her friend and roommate Cathy that she still works— a lie.
On the way, Rachel watches a couple she is obsessed with and calls them Jess and Jason. They live in a house on the road Rachel used to reside in when she was married. As per her liking, the couple is leading a perfect life until she witnesses something that doesn’t sit right with how she views and likes them to be.
Unfortunately, the next day, Jess goes missing and is last seen at the station, which unfolds more information about the couple.
Oddly, she also recalls being at the station the night Jess went missing.
Hawkins used Rachel’s alcohol addiction and revisiting her memories to upsell the mystery.
Plot Summary: Into the Water
Nel Abbott, a single mother, is found dead at the bottom of the river that runs through Beckford, also known as the drowning pool of the town — because a young teenager also died in the same river. They are not the only women losing their lives in the drowning pool, but their deaths bring out the dark history and secrets of the river.
Nel’s fifteen-year-old daughter Lena is left behind with her mother’s sister, Jules Abbott, who returns to the place she never wanted to.
Although everyone in town believes Nel has committed suicide, Jules knows better than that. Lena tells Jules about Nel’s obsession with the drowning pool and that she was writing a book on it.
The author has shown different characters bringing hidden, buried memories and secrets from the past into the present.
My Thoughts — The Girl on the Train or Into the Water?
Paula Hawkins is undoubtedly a blessed writer. The girl on the train has done and is still doing good among the readers. She surely knows how to keep the mystery to the last chapter and did the same with Into the water.
The girl on the train is a psychological thriller filled with suspense, and the story is told from three women’s viewpoints. The book has all the elements to keep you hooked — you may think you know where the story might shift, but all that changes with the next chapter.
On the other hand, Into the water is more of a slow-burning mystery that gets to you gradually. But as you read more, you get the hang of it and understand the characters better — the storyline, however, lacks the energy her previous novel had that captivated the attention of its readers.
I looked at the books on factors like — has the book been a page-turner?
For me, The girl on the Train has been a sure-shot page-turner, a genuine thriller. I was constantly looking for the culprit and had to get a hold of my eagerness while reading the book. It hardly took me 2–3 days to finish the book with other commitments.
Whereas, Into the water was more of a stretched-out women’s literature come thriller with too much to look at and understand, given the constant addition of characters and switch between first and third-person narratives.
How did the book make me feel?
When I read The girl on the Train, I knew how I felt about it, which was surreal, and I wanted to read more from the author. The precise and clever placement of characters makes you wonder where they would end up.
Although, I felt more annoyed with Rachel’s constant stalker behavior than sympathetic toward her. But this way, the author smartly projected the character’s pain and helplessness.
As Into the water is more about the tragedies occurring in the same place with different people, it makes you feel like a lot has happened — much of which is still unsaid and strange. The book no doubt puts you in a place where you ache to know the truth to end the misery.
Also, I felt the plot would have done just fine without some characters that didn’t add to the story or back it up.
I believe both the books have potential and stand a fair chance if you get the gist of the plots like any other book. But I liked The Girl on the Train more.
You may love or hate both the books or either of them. It depends on how you look at it.
If you have read the books, do share your thoughts with us.
Happy reading guys!
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