The Girl on the Train, Week 4

Welcome to the final discussion of The Girl on the Train.

I have to say, I did not anticipate that the book would end the way that it did. Do you agree? I was pretty shocked by the way everything finished. 

In therapy, Kamal suggested that Rachel try to reconnect to her lost memories using sensory experiences. She does that with the golf club incident with Tom and realizes that she remembers feelings of fear, not anger when she thinks of that night. Did that memory start to make you feel suspicious of Tom? Did you expect that Tom would be such an evil man? I did think it was suspicious that Tom kept rebuffing Anna every time she tried to tell him how unsafe Rachel made her feel. It seemed weird that he was always so willing to take Rachel's side. 

Throughout this section, Anna also starts to become suspicious of Tom, wondering if he is hiding things from her. What do you think was the last straw for her? I think the fact that she found that extra cell phone changed everything for her. I knew their marriage was in trouble after she found that. Were you surprised that she eventually turned her back on him? 

I was glad once Rachel was able to reconnect with the red haired man from the train. It seemed like he was able to shake loose some more memories for her. She's able to remember that she saw Tom get into a car with a woman, and she remembers that someone hurt her. I thought that once she was able to remember all of that, the story seemed to take a turn. I got really suspicious of Tom at this point. What did you think? 

The story got so tense when Rachel tried to convince Anna to leave with her, but then they realize that Tom is watching them talk through the window. Did that part scare you? Tom was just so unhinged. I knew he was going to do something violent, and I was really afraid that someone was going to get killed. I couldn't believe how callous he was when he was talking about Megan. He didn't feel any remorse for her death. And, he was so unfeeling towards Rachel, a woman he had once loved. I couldn't believe how it was so easy for him to knock her out and then talk to Anna like it was a normal day. He definitely showed that he was a psychopath. 

What was the most surprising part of the last chapter for you? Was it the fact that Rachel was able to kill Tom or the fact that Anna assisted? I think I was more surprised by Anna. She seemed to devoted to Tom. 

Do you think Rachel will take this new chance at life and make the best of it? I really hope she continues to be sober. If Rachel were to appear in a sequel to this book, what do you think she would be up to now? I hope she has a good job and some healthy relationships. 

If you enjoyed this book and would like to read or watch similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!

Before you go, check out this final video in which author, Paula Hawkins discusses the movie adaptation. Do you think you'll watch the movie version? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for following along this month! I hope you enjoyed this book--make sure to leave a comment to let me know if you enjoyed the ending! Next month, we're reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. I hope you'll join us again for that discussion.