【105-1 特別獎】社工三 程〇環：The Girl on the Train: The Underside of Marriage

The Girl on the Train: The Underside of Marriage

參賽者：程〇環（社工三）
名次：特別獎
書名：The Girl on the Train
得獎作品：

     The Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller, written by English writer Paula Hawking. Although comments on this novel are mixed, which is frequently compared with Gone Girl, I still find it creepy, scary but gripping. The characters, the plots as well as the narrative are organized by the author at an optimal level to discuss the topic she wants to discuss.

     It is a story about five interconnected individuals, including an alcoholic, a liar and cheater, a vamp, a control freak, and a mistress, which means there are all terrible and morally-imperfect main characters in the story. Basically in thriller, there will be at least one character who are sober enough to discover clues piece by piece to unravel the mystery and murder, then have the murderer brought to justice. But in the novel, the heroine — Rachel is a drunkard and literally a loser: breaks up and lose her job, but pretending to work and commuting everyday by train, peeping and imagining others’ perfect life in the train. On account of alcohol, she goes through black-out and memory loss every now and then. It is not even a charming character, but the story records the experience how she just tries to entertain and excite herself in the murder at first, then struggle to get rid of her pathetic life and regain enthusiasm eventually. In this perspective, it is a story of self-salvation, which I think is the positive element underneath the gloomy narrative.

     The story is told by three female narrators alternately through each other, and also cut into little pieces non-chronologically. Although it seems a bit confusing, and needs readers to pause and sort out the story. In my opinion, the method actually improves the interest of reading, and controls the story in a restrained pace, which strengthens the tense and uneasy atmosphere haunted in the novel. Three narrators are either losing memory, concealing or cheating to readers, so you hardly guess what is really going on, and drawing your attention to read and read until the end is revealed. It is a wonderful process.

     In addition, the author wants to talk about the underside of marriage. What if the partner you live with everyday is actually hiding some secrets from you and even lies to you? Like Gone Girl, the story will change the readers’ thoughts towards marriage and love.