There’s nothing like a psychological thriller to get you through a weekend. We asked our friends at Readings bookstore to give us their top pick for a thrilling weekend read. Sounds like it’s hard to get past this one.
Yes, this is the week when Grey is released, but I recommend you eschew E.L. James’ erotica for something a little darker and a little more thrilling (in a different way).
You might have heard about The Girl on the Train already – it’s this year’s big word-of-mouth sensation, following a similar trajectory to Gone Girl when it took off in popularity a few years ago. The Girl on the Train has been among bestseller lists for months now, as more and more people get onboard (pardon the pun).
An intricately plotted psychological thriller, the story is told from alternating perspectives of three different characters, and centres on the disappearance of a young woman.
We recently chatted to the author of the book, Paula Hawkins, and asked her how she would pitch her novel in one sentence. Hawkins said: “A lonely, obsessive commuter witnesses a shocking incident from her daily train journey, and finds herself drawn into a mystery from which she may not be able to escape”.
The central character of the novel, Rachel, is an alcoholic, and her dark, messy addiction really drives the narrative – her drunken blackouts leave her unsure of what she might or might not know, making her an unreliable narrator, even to herself. Rachel is an interesting, self-destructive character, and one I haven’t often seen in crime fiction.
BONUS: Out Loud's Best Books To Read This Summer
Mamamia Book Club