The book gave me so many different emotions from intrigue to empathy to shock and anger. The atmosphere in the book was fantastic throughout and you could picture the action on Platform 7 and elsewhere. I don’t want to say much about the plot as it would spoil it for future readers so suffice it to say it concerns what happened to Lisa Evans at Peterborough station.
I couldn’t put it down and was gripped from the start in this twisty tale. I’ve read several books by Louise Doughty and liked them all but I thought this one was breathtakingly good and arguably her best book yet. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC. This is an emotionally engaging read that touches on a vitally important issue in society, a roller coaster of a book which packs a punch. It touches on tragedies, grief, love, hate, loss, suffering and domestic drama, and of finally understanding that we are not as alone as we may think. This is a compulsive read, beautifully written, with vibrant characterisation, sensitive in its approach to its emotionally upsetting issues.
Despite the harrowing nature of the subject matter, Doughty manages to infuse the book with the spirit of hope that makes reading this a bearable experience. In a painfully realistic manner, Doughty outlines the difficulties of leaving abusive partners, and that unfortunately, justice is not always the end result. As the narrative unfolds, we learn of Lisa's disturbing relationship with Dr Matthew Goodison, a man who turned out not to be who he first appeared to be, a controlling, coercive and abusive man, and members of Lisa's family. Unusually, the story is narrated by Lisa's ghost.Īmidst the background of every day life, conversations and ordinariness of the busy Peterborough Station, we learn about the repercussions of the suicides on station staff and others, such as a young police officer. He is not alone, he is closely observed by the ghost of Lisa Evans, a secondary school teacher, but she is unable to intervene and prevent the tragedy that ensues. In the very early hours of a bitterly cold November morning, a man makes his way to an isolated part of the station, far from any member of staff, thinking himself entirely alone as he walks purposefully to the edge of the platform. This is an unnerving, chilling and deeply unsettling novel from Louise Doughty, a literary blend of haunting ghost story and thriller revolving around two suicides that take place on the eponymous Platform Seven at Peterborough Station.
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