This book should be called Gone Girl 2, even if only to help GG's fans to find the next big thing on somewhat disturbed suburbia women that, occasionally, go missing. Both books kept me glued to my seat and both books left me with some reservations. Gone Girl is by far the better of the two. 
 The Girl on the Train has the great advantage of a relatable premise: girl on a train looks at the same house every day on her commute wondering about its inhabitants. Who hasn't stared into other people's homes when given a chance? Who hasn't wondered what kind of life they lead? It's all harmless curiosity allied to a healthy dose of imagination. The difference between narrator #1 (aka Rachel) and you, sane reader, you ask? Narrator #1 is not sane - at least, I don't think so - because instead of limiting herself to voyeuristic pleasure, she deliberately crosses the "screen", becoming a participant in the "tv show" she used to watch. Her hard-earned realizations when she does so are quite obvious for a regular person: the fact that the fantasy she has built up does not relate at all to the reality of the lives of the people she used to watch. But like I said, hard-earned indeed. 
 Thus, it is frustrating to read narrator #1 - she should be crowned the queen of literature's bad choices. At some point, I didn't care what happened to her. The incompetent use of her free will deemed her deserving of whichever bad fate came to her, I thought. Because it wouldn't be fate. It would be the logical outcome of her own deliberate actions. That's a bit mean of me to admit, but I assure you that usually I'm quite on board with any character's decisions. 
 That said, narrator #2 (Megan) and narrator #3 (Anna) are no better at all. What at first I find to be relatable in one of them, the next second becomes the reason I find them unbearable. 
 I blame the book's use of gender politics. It is so very traditional in that sense: men are possessive, bad tempered and the definite bread-winners of the house. Women care about stability and having babies. And this is the deal breaker for me preferring Gone Girl any day of the week. I'm still not sure whether it was feminist or not, but at least it wasn't this. 
 (view spoiler)[ I had hoped Megan would be the character to save this book from its conservativeness, but after the revelation of her past, all her cool points (not being ready for a baby, wanting an occupation, her sexual drive) became the perverted aftermath of her trauma (aka her utmost failure as a woman(=mother)(!)). How am I supposed to forgive that? (hide spoiler)] 
 That being said, I was interested in seeing what happened. I had a few theories, some cooler than the real explanation, I thought. Aw. I say read it if you want to enjoy yourself and to not think too much. Perfect summer holiday reading, I guess. Now, if I had read this on winter, I'd have been furious.