October 2020

CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 by Lisa Unger opens with a frazzled Selena boarding a commuter train home that has her behind schedule --- and then the train gets stuck in a tunnel. During this frustrating delay, she turns to the woman next to her and they start chatting. At first it’s idle chatter, but then her seatmate reveals that she is having an affair with her boss. This emboldens Selena to blurt out that her husband, Graham, is having an affair with their nanny, Geneva. Between them, they establish the kind of instant intimacy that often happens when in a confined space like this. I confess that I have been in dishy conversations on more than one airplane!

They part ways, presumably never to see each other again. But the next day Geneva disappears, and a woman named Martha starts texting Selena referencing their conversation on the train. But wait, Selena does not remember exchanging contact information with the stranger. So what is going on?

This is the setup that Lisa does so well --- and from there, the pages fly by as we roll through more than one major twist and switchback action. It’s the kind of book that I cannot share much about, lest I spoil the plot. But I will say that it proves once again how talented Lisa is at her craft. Just when you settle in, you are upended again.  

Also, for those who are now working from home, there will be some memories that are tossed up about commuting and how a delay can derail a night. I felt Selena’s stress when she realized that she was not going to make the earlier train. But that ended up to be practice for the way the rest of this book was going to roll!