Into the Water by Paula Hawkins - Worth the hype

 Namaste.

Question - Have you read the book "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins?

Question again - Did you like it?

If your answer to both question is yes, then it has nothing to do with the second book by the author i.e. Into the Water. In the book (and many other famous reviews) you will read that if you liked the first book then you would definitely like the second one. 

THAT IS TOTALLY NOT THE CASE.

Read why - 

Characters:

• Danielle (Nel) Abbott - She's a very successful photographer and author. She's already dead, before the book begins which leads to the entire plot. In the entire story, she's depicted as a go getter, dangerously inquisitive, and somewhat troubled.

• Jules Abbott - Nel Abbott's younger sister, who is approached by the police to return to Beckford, take custody of Nel's daughter and help in the investigation. She's described as totally opposite of Nel. She's most of the time confused, hears voices, has nightmares and is somewhat troubled.

• Lena Abbott - Nel Abbott's daughter, who believes her mother committed suicide by jumping into the Drowning pool, where her dearest friend Katie too committed suicide. Just like her mother, she too is arrogant, entitled, and somewhat troubled.

• Louise Whittaker - Her smart, sensible and mature daughter Katie has committed suicide without leaving behind any answers or signs. Just like every character, she too is a troubled woman.

This review will never end if I keep introducing the characters, because there's just so so many of them. And each one of them has a got a story, a point of view and a perspective to offer. 

Plot:

Nel Abbott is found dead in the famous Drowning Pool of Beckford. The Drowning Pool has a legacy of troubled women committing suicide in it since centuries, but people are somehow still living in the vicinity. The case is initially about to be closed as a suicide but her sister Jules believes Nel was too levelheaded and cannot commit suicide. Her daughter Lena thinks otherwise. She believes her mother committed suicide because she felt her interest and research articles on the Drowning Pool led Katie to commit suicide. There's also detective Sean Townsend, who is investigating the entire case and not very surprisingly, his mother too jumped from the cliff  into the Drowning Pool. 

Do not worry, I am not giving away any spoilers of the plot. This is all mentioned in the very beginning. I am sorry to be so brutal but I have never come across such a stupid plot ever. I completed this book in one sitting, not because its very interesting or "unputdownable". But because it's such a frustrating read.

There's too many characters, too many stories and too much nonsense going around. The author has tried hard to stick to her genre i.e. memories and it's uncertainty. But it gets too much to hold. There's no thrill, no suspense, it's just plain confusion which does not add up to anything. The shock element that the author kept so wisely hidden till the last line was plain obvious 10 chapters ago. 

I would recommend, read it only if you are a die hard Paula Hawkins Fan. Otherwise, I would say, stop at The Girl on the Train.

Many thanks,

Shikha Tiwari.