Into the Water
June 29, 2017
MYSTERY, WOMEN'S FICTION
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Into the Water is the latest novel by Paula Hawkins. Like her previous best seller, The Girl on the Train, it is a blend of troubled relationships and murder. The novel starts out fast with Jules Abbott being notified that she needs to return to her hometown as her sister Nel is dead. Seems like Jules would be crushed at this news, but no, she seems angry. I feel that the relationship between the sisters is the main thread of the story, but honestly it is somewhat hard to tell as we switch into multiple points of view so often. I found this constant changing POV somewhat difficult, although it does serve the purpose of moving the story forward as the characters reveal more and more. As these revelations happened I remember thinking, "What the f@*k?" Apparently the people in this town have very few good qualities. Abuse, murder, rape, lies, it's all there. And I felt like I needed someone to be decent. In retrospect perhaps the character of Nickie (the dark sheep/town psychic) gets somewhat close. I imagine many people reading this book, a lot enjoying it. For me it was kind of like a car accident, I couldn't look away, but I felt somewhat uncomfortable too.
