Into the Water

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Published by Riverhead Books on May 2nd 2017
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Pages: 386
Format: eBook, Kindle Book
Source: Amazon Kindle

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.

 The river flows quietly and into its waters a lot of secrets go. Into the Water is the long awaited second novel by the most talented suspense author Paula Hawkins. I’ve been waiting for this book for so long. Anyone who have read and enjoyed her first book, The Girl on the Train, must have probably been doing the same. I couldn’t wait to lay my hands on this book.

The river town awakens to the striking news. A young mother, Nel Abbott, is found dead in the river. She is not the first to face this fate, and she will not be the last. That’s the unuttered fear in everyone’s mind. Beautiful Nel Abbott leaves behind Lena, her teenage daughter. She also leaves behind a lot of secrets. She’s been working on a book about the secrets of the river and all the women who had lost their lives there. A book that many people would have one reason or the other to wish it unpublished.

Upon receiving the bad news of her sister’s death, Jules Abbott rushes into town. She had left the town early enough leaving behind lots of memories, most of which were unhappy. Jules had been the younger, fat and not beautiful sister of Nel. She had been mocked, laughed at and even worse in her childhood and teenage years. Moreover, she was not on good terms with her sister. Still, she’s trying to understand what had really happened to her sister. Though she’s staying with Lena, they don’t seem to be getting along. And the more she stays in town, the more the long forgotten bad memories come back to her.

Murder, suicide or accident? That’s the big question. No one really knows what happened to Nel, not even Lena. Moreover, some people are relieved Nel is dead, while others are stricken with grief. Nel hasn’t been the first victim. So, is there a link between those deaths? What about the deaths centuries before?

The entangled web of long hidden secrets tightens. But as it tightens, more secrets evolve. No one is totally guilty, yet no one is totally innocent. And in the deepest corners of the human soul lies the answers to all the questions. But maybe some questions are better left unanswered!

Into the Water is absolutely one of the best books I read this year.  It actually reminds me why I love Paula Hawkins’ books. I have been waiting for her second book ever since I finished reading her first book, The Girl on the Train. What I know for sure is that when an author’s debut is as successful as The Girl on the Train, it’s quite a challenge to come up with the next book. There’s always the big question: Will it be as successful as the first one? Actually, such question can be crippling. In such cases, it’s the second book that determines the real talent of the author. And yes. Paula Hawkins did it. She proved that it wasn’t a matter of luck or chance. She is really one of the most talented writers.

When it comes to Paula Hawkins’ books, it’s the ride you enjoy most. I loved the story of course, but what I enjoyed most was her way of telling it. I’ve really seen nothing similar to that. She has a unique style. To start with, Into the Water had a wide cast of characters, so many threads and multiple timelines. The amazing thing is that she could control all of this so brilliantly. It’s easy to get lost in such a rich plot. She didn’t. She controlled the strings and knew exactly when and how to pull them.

Paula Hawkins is truly the queen of suspense. This is a title well deserved. Not only did she control the plot, but she also had her unique suspenseful writing style. Not only were the scenes packed with suspense, but the suspense was building up through the whole plot keeping the reader wide-eyed. This is exactly what I meant by enjoying the ride. Anyone can tell you a good story. If you ask me what the story of this book is I can surely tell you the whole story or a summary. But that won’t do it. Again, it’s not about the story. It’s about the brilliant story telling.

I tried to read Into the Water as slowly as possible. I wanted to have something of her book to read every day. Unfortunately and like all the good things in life, the book ended. Now I have to wait for her next book. A little whisper in Paula’s ears “Please please please … Don’t let us wait for so long … We NEED your next book”