I Read... The Girl on the Train

The "buzzy" book right for the last little bit has been The Girl on the Train.  I picked it up on one of those "If you liked _____, you might like..." shelves, comparing the thriller to Gone Girl.  Gone Girl was the kind of twisted story that I devoured in one sitting, and it led me to run out and pick up the rest of Gillian Flynn's novels right away.  I had high expectations for The Girl on the Train.

I spent about 30 minutes reading the novel, and I put it aside for a few weeks.  I found the beginning so dry and repetitive that I just wasn't drawn in.  Rachel, the protagonist, seemed so dull and unlikable, and it seemed as thought there was no plot.  I didn't see any hints of twists and turns to come that made me want to keep reading.  I went through a few other novels instead.  This past weekend, The Girl on the Train was back at the top of my "to read" pile.  I gave it another go, and I am so glad that I did.

While the novel is slow to start, the action is worth the wait.  The mysterious story of the disappearance of a stranger that Rachel often noticed as she took the train to work every day gets juicy.  Once Megan disappeared and Rachel placed herself in the middle of the police case, I couldn't put the novel down.  The different characters' stories wove together seamlessly.  I was pleasantly surprised by the climax of the story, and I found the resolution to be satisfying (unlike Gone Girl!).

Food for thought... Can you think of a novel that you nearly wrote off due, but ended up loving?  Tell me about it!