Log #6

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins  Page: 76-203

     Rachel knew Jess's name was Megan from newspapers: Megan's missing after that Saturday night when Rachel was drunk and headed for their house wanting to take a look at Scott(Jason). Rachel knew there must be something happening at that night, but she couldn't recall anything; she just forgot everything. Questioned by the police for that night's appearance near Megan's house, Rachel told a lie that she was there for her ex-husband Tom. However, she went to the police next day to talk about Megan's affair; she thought she could be a part of the case. Besides, wanting to get in touch with Scott, she pretended to be Megan's friend and told him Megan's affair with Kamal (identifying from the picture Scott showed her). Later, the police arrested Kamal but then let him go, for Rachel, as an alcoholic, was an unreliable witness. Therefore, Rachel made up her mind to figure out what happened at that night.

     The author reveals what happened in the past through Rachel's recall. Rachel became an alcoholic because she couldn't get pregnant no matter how hard she had tried. Rachel got insane due to alcohol. Rachel and Tom divorced both because of Rachel's craziness and Tom's love affair. I love the way the author tells the story: from different characters' perspectives, from different timeline, from characters' memories. Sometimes the switch causes confusing, but just like the puzzle, it provides a joy of putting clues together and finding the answer. However, I think the story is a bit slow: Megan had disappeared for more than one hundred pages! Also, she had disappeared for ten days! These days, I know more about Rachel's past and her interaction with Scott; nonetheless, I hope there is a progress on the search of Megan, or more Megan's story in the past. When I am guessing what happens on Megan, I am not so interested in Rachel's favorite Gin & Tonic.

     As for the characters, there is no doubt that the author spends lots of pages portraying Rachel. I know Rachel's personality from her behavior. Rachel mentioned that a woman was important for her appearance, or her role as a mother. Of course she thought herself to be worthless because of her barren. That is the reason why she told a lie to contact Scott -- she wants to be helpful, at least helpful to a person. This tendency is clearer after Kamal was let go: Rachel thought her testimony to be worthless; she was worthless again. Therefore she decided to help Scott by find out what happened at that night. From the words 'unhelpful', 'worthless', I know Rachel is a woman who couldn't find her own position. Thus, she tried to prove that she was important and that she could do something. She is a wretched woman who lost her identity and found no goal in life. Besides, her desire of being a important part in the case remind me of the old witness in the movie "12 Angry Men", who made up fake testimony in order to be a vital role in the murder case. Rachel, too, lied to be more convincing. They both wanted to be paid attention, wanted to be more than an outsider, and wanted to be crucial. Rachel wanted to be much more than a girl on the train, and this is humanity.