Paula Hawkins - The Blue Hour

An isolated Scottish island, accessible to the mainland only twelve hours a day. A famous (some might say infamous) artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared after visiting her twenty years ago. A present-day discovery that intimately connects three people and unveils a web of secrets and lies.
A masterful and propulsive novel that asks searing questions of ambition, power, gender and perception, The Blue Hour recalls the very best of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins’s place among the very best of our most nuanced, powerful and stylish storytellers.

Comment: I have previously read two books by this author and found them good, but not great. I was not particularly eager to read her other novels, but I saw this one at the library and, well, that was reason enough to want to to try it.

Vanessa Chapman was a great artist but now that she is dead, she left everything in the hands of friend Grace Haswell, with the comprise that she would be in contact with the agency that will deal with her work. Things have worked out for a while but it seems Grace has held several pieces and the agency wants them, and that is why curator James Becker travels to Eris, the isolated island in Scotland where Grace is and where Vanessa lived before her death. The island is oppressive for many for it's only accessible a few hours a day, depending on the tides, but James can also see how this inspired Vanessa. However, as he investigates what is still at the island, and a possible problem with one of the pieces, can he also solve the mystery of what happened to Vanessa's husband, missing for 20 years..?

If one checks online platforms, such as GR, it becomes obvious the average for this book isn't very high. It seems the majority of readers has not appreciated this book that much, but to me, despite the problems, it was a good reading, in the sense that it was fast paced - to me! - and having small chapters helped as well. I can see why it doesn't work for many, but it did for me.

The story is focused on Vanessa, a great contemporary artist whose work was mostly paintings, but later on she also did some sculpting. One of her sculptures was seen by a forensic anthropologist (if I read that correctly) and he claims one bone used is not of deer, but human. This starts off an investigation, which includes curator James traveling to the island where Vanessa worked during her last years, and this is eerie enough since the island can only be accessed in specific times. Also, Grace Haswell, the woman who was left in charge of Vanessa's estate, has an apparent clingy personality and doesn't inspire much confidence.

The setting is definitely one of the best elements of this story. The fact the island is only accessible at certain moments means some situations can only happen in certain ways. As the plot moves along, this aspect is given a lot of importance, especially since Vanessa is a moody artist and her husband disappeared and then Grace, a stranger before Vanessa saw her as a doctor, becomes the person who inherits the island...all information is given in such a way that, of course, we have to doubt whether this is key to the plot or only something to distract the reader.

I did like the pace, which felt fast to me, with the help of the small chapters and the overall book not being too long. I can understand why some readers weren't too happy because this means some situations feel they don't really have a strong base and when the twists come, they feel weak. I would not say this but it is true that a lot is based on accepting certain whims by Vanessa and the behavior of those around her. This really disappointed, it's true, because I feel the characters weren't always likable.

Yes, this doesn't have to be a factor for a book to be successful but it meant the final chapters, when we learn the truth of what happened and why the bone seen in the piece might not be human, weren't as captivating because it would irrelevant in the big scheme of things. I was surprised by the end, as a matter of fact, but mostly for the intensity the author gave to the culprit's behavior. Of course, if more had been shared before, it would have been easier to guess, but the execution could have been a lot better, this I agree with the more doubtful readers.

The very end, which I assume disappointed many readers, was kind of suitable, but annoying, since we don't really know what happens after we understand what those final pages mean. I would have liked some better solution, or closure on what would be the consequence of that final scene. Still, if I try to think of this book from a poetic POV, it kind of fit.

Grade: 7/10

Paula Hawkins - Into the Water

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer,
a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.
Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother’s sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she’d never return.
With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.
Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath.

Comment: I saw this book at the library and impulsively decided to bring it with me. The author actually reached the hype status so many authors aspire to with her first book, which I read, but that I thought wasn't as well done because the big twist wasn't very believable. Do you know what? The same thing happened in this story, which means the author obviously has a formula of her own...

When this story begins we follow a vast set of characters as they tell us or go through the motions and we follow along the events that led to another death in the river in the place they all live in. The latest death was that of Nel Abbott, who was looking for to write the stories of all the women who had killed themselves in the river - or so the story goes - but Nel didn't really fit the profile. Now her sister comes to see what needs to be done and to take responsibility for her niece Lena but returning makes her remember a lot of things from her childhood which she wanted to forget. As the clues pile up, several things start to become doubtful as why Nel might have committed suicide. And what connection between her and a teenager who also killed herself that year...?

I can only imagine the kind of plans the author had for this book, the ideas popping up and the kind of work she did before she even stated writing. Many things are happening when it comes to plot, some things had to be done in a way for the reader to keep guessing but I wonder if, among all the pre-writing, the author actually thought about how the psychological side of things would look like. I say this because, to me, the issue with this novel is how it promises, how it suggests a certain element, but then....the peak of the story doesn't fully deliver (to me).

I should say I felt the same with her other book. She planned and thought and designed a way for things to go and they do develop well enough, but I don't think the motives and the way the characters reached that point where they went and committed the crimes was well done. It just doesn't feel like things are well explained, too many little details, which are meant to be the links between clues/key moments, just don't seem to make sense in regards to that character or that personality or that situation. I'd say the biggest issue for me is that the psychological side of things is not really believable.

Perhaps I could say Julia is the main character in this book. It's true that there are many but her chapters are in first person and she is probably the character with more chapters. I could see and appreciate the work done when it came to plan for her personality, as well as for the other characters' and that is why the complexity of everything seems to fizzle out somehow. The author did a good job in collecting elements to construct her story but I don't think she used that information in the best way to deliver a satisfying novel, for the most part.

There are many characters, like I said, and they aren't all very reliable. There's this dissociation between what they say and how they act and, sometimes, that's probably just to let the reader wonder what is happening, how can things be linked. On the other hand, it makes the plot feel as if it's much more complex and much darker and weirder than what ends up being, ultimately, revealed. I confess I felt let down because I created these explanations in sequence to what was going on but when all the clues are put together, there were some things not explained, others were very weakly related to anything important and others were misleading into a pointless goal.

The writing itself is pleasant to read, the way things are told allows the reader to be immersed in the atmosphere and there are truly gorgeous passages. I liked how the action takes place in an area used in the past to "judge" witches and  I thought more about that would matter but, in the end, everything was more bland than what I imagined. Not even the why Nel died was that well done.... some situations were also a bit predictable, especially that related to Katie, another woman/girl who drowned in the river.

All in all, not a bad story if one thinks about it as a whole. But when I think about each situation, each detail to make things work, there are several which could have been done so much better...

Grade: 7/10

Paula Hawkins - The Girl on the Train

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough.
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…

Comment: I got this book last year while it was still hyped everywhere but since it was compared to Gone Girl, which I've read and liked but of course has some dark tones, I wasn't dying about delving into a psychological thriller so I held on reading it. This month, I added it to my reading list at last.

I don't think I need to go into lots of descriptions but for those who have managed not to follow the hype, this is the story of Rachel, a woman who catches the train everyday to go to work. On the way, the train passes by a set of houses at some point and Rachel looks that way almost all the time so she feels she could know the people who live there, in particular a young couple.  Rachel sometimes wishes she could be as happy as the couple seems to be until the day she sees something that shocks her. Since Rachel can't do much to undo the problems that happened to her, she tries to do something good and gets into a situation not related to her but while looking for to help, she sees herself in an even bigger mess that just can'«t have a positive outcome...

Just so that I'm clear, I'll include some spoilers in my comment, not that would ruin the end if someone tries to read the book, but I'll include some information that can be considered spoiler.

Many people have liked this book, others didn't but I actually liked the reading experience, if not the characters themselves. I think this might be the biggest issue for many readers, there's not one likable character one can relate to and try to defend of like. Of course this can make things not as pleasant to read about but I was quite interested in reading how the twists or the thriller parts would be portrayed.

Rachel is a very depressed character. Throughout the novel we get to understand why and some of her reasons do look terrible and unfair and too much for someone to bear but the fact she let herself go down a negative spiral, ending up in her alcoholism is depressing indeed. I think the problem is that during the whole novel, she never tries to change for the better or improve or follow the advice of those who care about her, like her roommate. I believe readers would like her a lot more if in the middle of all her musings and sadness she would also include attempts to put herself up again.

The fact Rachel is an alcoholic is an important part of the story, though. Such a status is what allows some situations to develop for she is not considered a reliable person and much less a witness in a police investigation we see developing through the novel. Somehow I also pity Rachel because she did fell into an abyss and can't seem to get out of it but through her narrative we can also see she has a good heart despite her flaws and that certainly made her redeemable to me.

The other main characters, namely the couple Rachel saw from the train, her ex and his new wife, all are complicated and layered characters. At first sight they all seem normal people but as the story unfolds, we get to discover more and more unsettling aspects, most of them when it comes to their behaviors and moral conduct. I suppose this is what makes the story repulsive and addictive at the same time, it's like watching a very bad situation happen but we still don't stop it as we are fascinated with the bad side of a person. I must say that knowing the reasons behind all the problems and how every character is connected felt rather flat.

I expected some complexity in terms of personality, morality, socially behavior... I do agree with those who claim the story was publicized in an exaggerated way and that it's not as well interwoven as one would expect of a thriller.

There are three narrators and on one hand I liked that because it allows the reader to know things otherwise wouldn't be easily inserted in the plot but I also think the voices of every character were pretty much the same. I can't say if this is just the author's style or if it's a tactic meant to make things confusing on purpose but since neither of the narrators is exactly someone one would appreciate, the story drags on with a negative vibe, a sort of despaired struggle to explain things that just don't appeal.

I liked the mystery and I did feel sorry for Rachel and some of her decisions but this is really a story one shouldn't read to feel upbeat and engrossed in a complicated plot. The psychological side of things was interesting but since it led nowhere, I would say this narrative was a bit flat.

Still, unlike other readers, I wasn't bored and managed to find will to keep reading and I was looking for the twist that would make it all feel worthwhile. I don't think the author quite accomplished that but the book did provide me with some entertaining hours and that can be enough for me.

Grade: 7/10