The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Transworld) will be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club on Monday 26 January.
The book was selected with the help of a panel made up of Reading Agency and library staff from across the UK.
We have an exclusive extract available for you to read as well as discussion questions for your reading group.
The Girl on the Train
Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning.
She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…
Selection Panel Review
Our reading panel of librarians and staff from The Reading Agency loved The Girl on the Train – here are some of their comments:
“This is a well-written and gripping thriller. It is a tale of many betrayals. Rachel, around whom the story centres, is a flawed but engaging character and the reader comes to sympathise with her struggles against despair and other demons. The narrative is well-paced and definitely raises the heart rate over the last few chapters.”
“This was not my usual read but carried me through with a speed, momentum and intensity at the end which surprised me. It was suspenseful and gripping, told through the eyes of three female protagonists. The destructive impact of certain vices that were central to the plot was handled sensitively and raised interesting questions for me. The mystery kept me guessing right up to a nail-biting finish.”
About the author
Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. The Girl on the Train is her first thriller.
A word from Paula
“It’s a great honour to be picked for the Radio 2 Book Club – I’m a huge fan of so many of the books selected, so it’s hugely gratifying to think that The Girl on the Train will now sit amongst them. But more than that, I’m excited by the thought of having the Drivetime audience reading and talking about my book – it’s quite daunting, but I will be fascinated to hear other people’s thoughts about my characters and their journey through the book.”
Get involved
Tune in to Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show on Monday 26 January to hear a live interview with Paula Hawkins talking about her book.
Have you read The Girl on the Train? You can share your thoughts on Twitter, or by posting a comment in the space below. You can also follow Paula Hawkins on Twitter.
Win 10 copies of The Girl on the Train for your reading group – we have three fantastic sets to give away! Just complete our short survey.
Want to find out more? The Radio 2 Book Club has a dedicated Twitter feed.
Joanne Baird
A selection of some of the comments from Portobello Book Group who won a set of copies to review:
Absolutely gripping, read it in less than 48 hours and thinking about it still. Moist poignant for me is that for every person that looks like 'just an alcoholic', there is always a back story. And 9 times out of 10 it is sad. I am glad the Girl on the Train found redemption via using her intellect and ability to self-preserve.
I enjoyed the book: I found it held my attention from the beginning and did find it a 'page turner'. I thought all the characters were intriguingly repulsive with the author creating quite visual descriptions. The main character 'Rachel' although initially difficult to like was someone I found myself warming to despite all her flaws. I would have liked to have known a bit more about each of the characters backgrounds. In relation to the plot I thought it was well thought out and kept me guessing till quite late on. For me it brought back childhood memories of friends’ houses backing on to the suburban rail network near London, although nothing so exciting happened in the gardens I played in!
I was gripped by this book from the start. I identified with Rachel and found her personality and various traits believable. I sympathised with Tom and could feel his mounting frustration. I thought it was slightly too long and would have liked a late twist in the story but would seek out another book by Paula Hawkins.
I really enjoyed this book and read it in a couple of sittings. I was expecting what Rachel saw from the train to be a bit more shocking than it actually was but could understand that to her, with her constructed idea of the couple, it was shocking. It was interesting to try to figure out how much of what Rachel believed was true given her alcoholism and memory lapses. For a lot of the book you really didn’t know who to trust and who was telling the truth. Quite a gruesome ending! My feelings towards Rachel, and the other characters, changed several times throughout the book between annoyance, frustration and sympathy. I thought this book was well written, with suspense building throughout and I would look out for any future novels by Paula Hawkins.