Tag: #suspense

The Girl on the Train – A bewildering tale

 

                                                                       (Photo: Twitter)

The Girl on the train is the story of Rachel Watson’s life, post-divorce. She is an alcoholic who rides on a train aimlessly. On her way, she travels past an old house where she and her then-husband, Tom used to live. However, there is one house that she waits to see each day. She watches Megan in her seemingly perfect relationship with her husband. Then one day Rachel sees Megan cheating on her husband. So, she decides to communicate with her. However, she has a blackout and is awaken with bruises in her apartment. Soon she learns that Megan is missing and detective Rilly interrogates her since she was seen wandering in the area.

The language used in this book is simple, understandable, and subtle which makes the readers get interested in reading the book. The themes of the novel are that of gaslighting, manipulation through questioning or validating a person’s sanity as the three women are abused by the men in their lives. It also deals with a very strong theme that some things are not always what they seem to be. In some respect, the novel is a connectional mystery.

Rachel Watson is the titular girl on the train and novel’s protagonist. She is complicated and an invaluable character. She is a divorced and deeply depressed person because of her impotence and failed marriage. Megan Hipwell is a young, sensitive woman with a dark past. Megan is not at all the model wife that Rachel imagines her to be. Megan begins dwelling into the depth of her trauma of losing her baby. Anna Watson is threatened by Tom’s ex-wife for calling and texting Tom all the time. She fails to see the unearthed trauma and pain in Rachel’s odd behavior and views her as a loser. Tom Watson disguises himself as a loving husband but in reality, he is a liar, cheater, murderer, and antagonist of the novel.

The Girl on the Train is a 2015 psychological thriller novel by Paula Hawkins. The novel debuted in the number one spot on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 list dated 1 February 2015, and remained in the top position for 13 consecutive weeks. In January 2016, it became the number 1 best seller again for two weeks. The book has also sold 15 million copies around the world. The readers of this book loved it warm-heartedly. The author did a really great job with the three character’s voices. It deals with powerful themes all the while weaving the story into a heart wrenching tale of obsession and madness. One cannot help but get reeled into the chaos of it all, questioning oneself at times of who is what, and whether everything is as it is.

There is no need of any suggestions for this novel as it is one of its kind. The writing is quite masterful as the writer gives away only enough with each chapter. Hence, this novel is perfectly paced.

Movie Review – Death Bell

If you are searching for an Asian horror movie with nerve wrenching suspense, then Death bell maybe the one you are looking for. Death bell is an absolute epitome of horror and thriller. If you’re among someone who enjoys watching horror movies- you should definitely add this to your watch list right now.

Death Bell (2008) - IMDb
Rated 5.6/10 by IMBD

Death bell or Gosa is a Korean horror suspense thriller movie directed by Hong Seung Yoon who is also a music video director and produced by Core Content Medias. The movie stars Lee Beom Soo, in his first horror film role, Kpop singer Nam Gyu Ri marking her acting debut, Kim Bum, Yoon Jung Hee in peculiar characters with Son Yeo Eun, Lee EL, Son Ho Jun and many others making it star-studded cast line-up. Set in a Korean high school, the film’s native title refers to gosa, the important midterm exams that all students are required to sit. A group of 20 high school students partakes in an elite class to prepare for a college exam. Trouble ensues when the students and teachers are trapped in the school building by a maniac and to be set out free then to need to answer his question or face horrible fate. The movie has but wrenching, brutal torture scenes which can be harsh for some people. It is neat and clean, topic and genre committed movie. Most of the characters show little development but there are not also much lows in their characters. The movie upheld the high tension up to the end. Once you are immersed in the storyline, you won’t be able to leave your seat. Cinematography and screenplay can disappoint, but the acting won’t. Nam Gyu Ri as Ina is set up as the plot’s central girl, who is determined to save her classmates. She has wonderful presences which grow as action pick ups. The movie has the basic Asian horror idea of avenging host associated with modern day students’ lives. The central core of the movie is an interpretation of the “torture porn” genre of Western Horror that was doing the rounds. This cultural immersion allows it to stand apart even if it doesn’t fully deliver. This is a feature for horror fans that are less concerned with fully rounded characterization.
All in all , Death Bell gives you best horror with a wonderful cast but with moderately good plotline and other aspects.

Book Review – Half Torn Hearts

Half Torn Hearts is the 14th novel of Novoneel Chakraborty. Novoneel usually writes the suspense and thriller novel, but this novel differs from Novoneel’s other books, and is definitely a masterpiece.

Half Torn Hearts : Chakraborty, Novoneel: Amazon.in: Books

SYNOPSIS

Shanay Bansal, a young and successful entrepreneur, is looking forward to his engagement with Afsana Agarwal. But a few weeks before the engagement, he receives intriguing voice message from someone from Afsana’s past. Curious, Shanay plays the voice message and through those other such messages, a different world from the past opens up about a beautiful relationship that got broken because of a terrible lie.

PLOT

There are mainly three characters: Nirmaan, Raisa and Afsana. Nirmaan and Raisa are childhood, good friends. They meet in the year 1996 in Guwahati. Nirmaan offers her to play with him and his friends. In the beginning, she doesn’t but later agrees and becomes good friends. Besides Nirmaan, she doesn’t have any friends.

After six years, in 2002, they again meet in Kolkata in the school named St. Peter’s High. In the beginning, he gets surprised to see her. She tells how she gets admission in the school. Time has changed, and they have grown up, but Raisa doesn’t prefer to change. She wants everything to be like earlier times. She doesn’t leave Nirmaan most of the time and he gets annoyed. He tries to explain to Raisa that things have changed, time has changed, but she didn’t seem to understand. 

Later, in the same school, she meets Afsana Agrawal, and they become best friends. They become soul sisters; whereas Nirmaan doesn’t like Afsana and tells Raisa to stay away from Afsana, but she still hangs out with Afsana. Time passes and these innocent minds did not know how thier lives would turn. Raisa fails in class X whereas Afsana and Nirmaan pass the exam. They get admission to the same college. With time, both fall in love but they weren’t able to express their feelings. 

On the one hand, Afsana is in with Nirmaan and her parent has searched her guy ten years elder and her parents want her to marry when she returns 18. She couldn’t share this with Nirmaan and shares with Raisa. Raisa is one who makes them together and gets intimate with him, but she doesn’t share about her so-called soon fiancée.

With time, they get separated. What is the reason for the separation, and why is she getting married to Shanay? What will Shanay do after knowing the truth?

CONCLUSION

This story has three main characters and their selfless love and that willingness to destroy owns self for the person they love. There are quite few many difficulties in their life but the way their love has been portrayed it won my heart. Some secrets, some revelations and then an unexpected climax – everything is just so catchy that I could not put the book down till I completed reading it. So, half torn hearts will definitely win many hearts of the readers!! And the most beautiful part about this book is the Hindi poems in between the story which gave that storyline the perfect essence of emotions.

While reading the novel, we can tell that not every relationship is about flowing together forever. People who meant the world to us at one time will seem like a distant memory at another.
In conclusion, I could say it’s interesting and engaging. It’s a heart crushing story with surprising revelations and a touching climax.

I’m thinking of ending things…

Author – Iain Reid

Page count – 224 (hardback) 130 (eBook)

Genre – Suspense, psychological thriller

The story is about a young woman and her boyfriend. A girl has no name (high five if you GoT (again) that reference). Jake is her boyfriend. We find them driving to his parents house in the country and then back home. Its just that. But you won’t believe how much happens in that time frame. The conversation between the couple makes you think. They have these deep talk about childhood and other stuff.

The name of the book is such because the girl keeps thinking of ending things with this boyfriend all this time and this is important.

Recently made into a Netflix movie this book is what I wish I had heard about earlier. I strongly recommend thriller novel fans to give it a read. Moreover it’s short. You could finish it within a day or two. Haven’t seen the movie yet but I will check it out after I finish writing this. I really want to see the difference between how I pictured it and how the movie is portrayed. I do that with every book based movie.

It’s been a while since a read a good book. This one kept me hooked. One of those un-put-downable. The suspense it creates. You know there’s something wrong about it but you cannot pin point what it is. There’s this one crazy page and the next page is normal but you turn to the next page and it’s crazier than the first. You’ll make yourself comfortable with the surrounding, the character and the scene changes out of the blue. The last few pages are so confusing makes you feel anxious unless you read it all.

It has a 3.5/5 rating on Goodreads. I would rate it 4/5.

P.s. Suggest me some good thriller novels please.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!