Words and Matter

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'The Girl on the Train' named WH Smith Book of the Year

Should you be stuck for a gift for someone, and that person loves a bit of narrative nuance then here's an idea. Paula Hawkins number one bestseller The Girl on the Train has been named the WH Smith book of the year. 

Not content with a "#1 bestseller" ranking on Amazon, The Girl on the Train has sold like hot brakes (sorry) pretty much since its January release. Now it's WH Smith book of the Year 2015, and the retailer says the book has "ultimately taken the market by storm", with sales refusing to slump regardless of season or month.

Why? Perhaps it's down to Paula Hawkins suspenseful narrative. The Huffington Post said of it, "Hawkins' masterful deployment of unwittingly unreliable narration to evoke the aftershocks of abuse and trauma is a powerful way of exploring women's marginalization". Perhaps its beguiling, dashing, front cover has attracted many a intrigued look. Or perhaps because Stephen King says of the book.

Kept me up most of the night. The alcoholic narrator is dead perfect

Nope, it's because it's a darn fine read. It's not a book to be taken lightly; not with the tagline "You don't know her, but she knows you". But it is a book that's been roundly lauded and should fill a gift gap really, rather well.

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P.S: Congratulations Paula!