A thriller, a fantasy, and a lesson in life and love.

Over the past three weeks I have done about 50 flying hours. Between the bad chicken salads and many episodes of 'VEEP', I managed to fit in a fair amount of reading. The following books were my three holiday reads, each very different in genre, but all equally enjoyable.

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins:
You were just getting over ‘Gone Girl’, you thought it was finally safe to start trusting people again, but oh how wrong you were…  In the latest book to become an instant cult book club read, Paula Hawkins' thriller 'The Girl on the Train' proves no one is as they seem, and the only person in this world you can truly trust is yourself (no, I'm not exaggerating).

In a nutshell, the plot revolves around the experiences of three female characters - Rachel, Anna and Megan, whose lives are complexly intertwined by lies, misunderstandings, murder, and a conveniently placed train line. The book challenges how we view those around us, and our tendency to fantasise when - for the most part - all we get are passing glances. While at points the timeline was a little hard to follow, jumping between characters and experiences spaced months apart, Hawkins had me hooked right for the start and I was finished in a couple of days.

Stadust - Neil Gaiman:
I fell in love with the film 'Stardust' years ago and have since seen it many, MANY times, but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I decided to pick up the original book. It's very rare for a book or film from the fantasy genre to capture my attention but I just adore 'Stardust' in both forms. 

There are subtle differences in the plot between film and novel but essentially, a young man named Tristan sets out on a grand adventure to find a fallen star in an attempt to win the heart of a girl in his town. In the magical town of Wall the star takes the form of a woman and many are after her. Unicorns, witches, royalty and murder all feature but perhaps it's the simple love story that's so captivating.

At only 194 pages it's a short and snappy read and I could definitely seeing it being a perfect mid-semester distraction, save the lengthy 'War and Peace' style plot.

Us - David Nicholls:
David Nicholls' 'One Day' is one of my all time favourite novels, so perhaps I was slightly biased going into it but I just love Nicholls' writing voice. One night Douglas Petersen discovers that his wife of over 20 years has decided to leave him, but not before journeying around Europe on a grand tour to provide their son with a grand cultural experience. Their travels take them to London and back, and between all the galleries and art pieces they discover themselves.

It may be my inner 40 year old but I was surprised by how well I was able to connect with the the middle aged, male, scientist protagonist. Largely his conflict between his desire to stay in his comfort zone vs. the artistic and impulsive attitudes of his wife and son.
 
Across his work, David Nicholls seems to truly capture what it is to grow up, and grow old*, expressing it in the most eloquent and quotable way.

 *At 19, I can admit I say this with absolutely no authority.


- Miriam

* Mosaik does not take credit for the images used in this article