The Girl on the Train, or Sometimes It’s Better to Wait for the Movie

Forgive the lateness and brevity of this post, but work demands have stepped up lately. I did, however, want to discuss the upcoming flick, The Girl on The Train, starring Emily Blunt and based on a best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins. This was one of those novels that showed up constantly in my Amazon suggestions list, as I had read Gone Girl, and apparently, it was billed as similar fare. But I was able to finish Gone Girl – not so much The Girl on the Train. I’m not sure why it didn’t capture my attention other than I was getting impatient with the detailed musings of the narrator (played by Blunt in the film). So I can’t offer any educated opinion of the book, though the movie trailer has compelled me to go ahead and see what the fuss was about.

As with the book, the trailer shows Blunt voyeuristically gazing on an attractive couple she sees every day while riding the train to and from the city. Then one day, the woman disappears and our protagonist suspects foul play. It appears that maybe she is correct, but given her apparent unsteadiness of mind, she is not only an unreliable narrator but may have had something to do with the woman’s disappearance. The trailer offers a convoluted glimpse at Blunt’s relationship with the other characters, and no doubt that is to avoid spoiling any “big reveals” in the plot. I still doubt it will have the same punch as Gone Girl, but The Girl on the Train WAS a popular book (it was on the New York Times Bestseller List for 13 consecutive weeks), Emily Blunt is a well-known and liked actress and I foresee a girl’s night out to the cinema for many a book club participant.

The Girl on The Train is set to open nationwide at the end of this week: